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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Thursday 22 January 2004
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Thursday 22 January 2004
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Thursday 22 January of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department. For other Written Questions for answer on Thursday 22 January of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Thursday 22 January see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office 1
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (150429) | 2
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the office and the agencies for which the Office is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150259) | 3
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Office occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150275) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 4
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150261) | 5
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150274) | 6
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assistance with childcare costs is provided through the childcare element of the working tax credit. | | (150206) | 7
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many letters to the Paymaster General from honourable Members complaining about the operation of the new tax credits have been answered by (a) civil servants and (b) the Paymaster General. | | (150027) | 8
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what section of the Inland Revenue is responsible for co-ordinating the activities of the Inland Revenue in relation to people with disabilities. | | (150411) | 9
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to appoint a disabilities champion to take responsibility for the Inland Revenue's service delivery to people with disabilities. | | (150412) | 10
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received in relation to the definition of an incapacitated person used in tax and VAT legislation; and if he will make a statement. | | (150413) | 11
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what measures are taken by the Inland Revenue to advertise home visits for those with disabilities (a) in leaflets and (b) on the Inland Revenue website. | | (150414) | 12
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what account is taken of best practice in relation to dealing with people with disabilities in leaflets produced by the Inland Revenue. | | (150415) | 13
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Inland Revenue has a disabilities helpline; and if he will make a statement. | | (150416) | 14
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Inland Revenue has to introduce a leaflet available (a) in hard copy and (b) on the Inland Revenue website explaining revenue help for those with special needs and indicating the main areas of tax legislation giving reliefs for those with disabilities. | | (150417) | 15
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether all Inland Revenue offices have textphone or similar communication aids. | | (150418) | 16
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what equipment is available in Inland Revenue offices open to the public for those with hearing difficulties. | | (150419) | 17
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Orderline of the Inland Revenue is able to (a) take orders for large print editions of the most commonly requested leaflets and forms and (b) arrange for delivery on request. | | (150420) | 18
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) large print, (b) audio and (c) braille products are available on request from the Inland Revenue; and if he will make a statement. | | (150421) | 19
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training is given to frontline Inland Revenue staff in dealing with people with disabilities. | | (150422) | 20
| Mr Jimmy Hood (Clydesdale):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the outcome was of the ECOFIN Council held on 20th January; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. | | (150137) | 21
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the levels of public sector pension fund deficits. | | (150457) | 22
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the additional revenue to the Exchequer that would be generated by increasing the rate of Class 4 National Insurance contributions by 3 per cent. | | (150459) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 23
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, when he will reply to the letter from the honourable Member for West Chelmsford of 21st October 2003 concerning Ms B. Quinn of Chelmsford. | | (149827) | 24
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150262) | 25
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150272) | 26
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the criteria are for remittal by the Immigration Appeal Tribunal; and where they are listed. | | (150182) | 27
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what progress has been made with the consultation on jury research. | | (150342) | 28
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what guidance his Department gives to the Court Service on political neutrality. | | (150442) | 29
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what guidance his Department gives to the Court Service on appropriate use of its estate. | | (150443) | 30
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list the Court Service's dealings with Workham Marketing for the last three years. | | (150444) | 31
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether outside bodies are permitted to hold fundraising meetings in the Royal Courts of Justice. | | (150445) | 32
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether outside bodies are permitted to hold sporting events in the Royal Courts of Justice. | | (150446) | 33
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether outside bodies are permitted to hold political meetings in the Royal Courts of Justice. | | (150447) | 34
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, under what circumstances the Court Service hires the Royal Courts of Justice to outside bodies. | | (150448) | 35
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make a statement on the future of the monarchy in the UK. | | (150122) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 36
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150255) | 37
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150279) | 38
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to brief employees of the Royal Parks Constabulary about the details of its proposed merger with the Metropolitan Police and the implications for their terms and conditions. | | (150290) | 39
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much Heritage Lottery funding has been awarded to each Lancashire district in each of the last five years. | | (150410) | 40
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the extent to which the Royal Family features in material to promote tourism in Britain. | | (150187) | 41
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the contribution to the economy in terms of revenue from tourism generated by the Royal Family in each of the last three years. | | (150200) | 42
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much public money was spent on the Golden Jubilee celebrations. | | (150389) | 43
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to link the 2012 Olympic Games bid to the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee. | | (150391) | 44
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will recommend to the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic bid that they place more emphasis in their bid on the fact that 2012 will also be the Diamond Jubilee. | | (150392) | 45
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on plans for celebrating Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. | | (150393) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 46
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150254) | 47
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150289) | 48
N | Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel are assigned to (a) theatres of conflict and (b) peace-keeping duties, broken down by country or region involved. | | (150024) | 49
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Blaenau Gwent of 12th January, Official Report, column 537W, on Iraq, how many military vehicles hit by depleted uranium munitions have been identified within the southern sector of Iraq under British control; if he will list the options open to coalition forces to deal with these vehicles; when he expects work to begin; what risk assessment of Iraqi (a) adults and (b) children has been carried out; and if he will make a statement. | | (150356) | 50
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many foreign aircraft, and of what makes and type, have been hired by his Department in each of the last five years. | | (150408) | 51
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many foreign ships have been hired by his Department in each of the last five years. | | (150409) | 52
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the pilots of the two helicopters of 849 Naval Air Squadron which collided on 22nd March 2003 had not been issued with night-vision goggles. | | (149876) | 53
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the criteria are for the issuing of night-vision goggles to Naval Air Squadron personnel. | | (149877) | 54
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the overall allocation is of night-vision goggles to the (a) Royal Navy and Royal Marines, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force. | | (149878) | 55
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the equipment available to Naval Air Squadron helicopter pilots, other than
night-vision goggles, to prevent collision in poor flying conditions at low altitude at night. | | (149879) | 56
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that night-vision goggles will be issued to helicopter pilots before night-time missions. | | (149880) | 57
| Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress British forces have made in restricting the poppy harvest in Afghanistan. | | (150125) | 58
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was spent to repair and reconstruct civilian infrastructure by UK forces within the first 100 days of the end of high intensity fighting in Iraq. | | (150220) | 59
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what requests were made by his Department to the Department for International Development for staff to assist with the planning for post-conflict Iraq; and what the response was in each case. | | (150221) | 60
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what security clearance was given to civilians with expertise in infrastucture to enable them to attend military planning meetings, prior to the commencement of military operations in Iraq. | | (150224) | 61
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was spent on quick impact projects authorised by the UK military command in the (a) first 100 days and (b) six months following the end of high intensity military operations in Iraq. | | (150225) | 62
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what force protection measures are in place to protect the operatives of non-governmental organisations and humanitarian organisations within the UK sphere of military operations in Iraq. | | (150226) | 63
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian contractors were employed under UK command to repair and maintain civil infrastructure in the (a) first 100 days and (b) six months following the end of high intensity military operations in Iraq. | | (150227) | 64
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the Scottish Regiments; what their authorised strength was; and how many vacancies there were in each year since 1997. | | (150398) | 65
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers in Welsh regiments in Iraq have not been issued with flak jackets. | | (150358) | 66
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers in Welsh regiments are fighting in Iraq. | | (150369) | 67
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers in Welsh regiments have been killed in Iraq, broken down by cause of death. | | (150370) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 68
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 2001-02. | | (149916) | 69
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of tenants in the social rented sector are paying rents above the average rent for the appropriate bedroom category in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each London borough. | | (150400) | 70
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of tenants in the social rented sector are paying rents £10 or more above the average for their bedroom size in (a) each region of England and (b) each London borough. | | (150401) | 71
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of tenants in the social rented sector are paying £10 or more above the average for properties with (a) one bedroom, (b) two bedrooms, (c) three bedrooms and (d) four or more bedrooms. | | (150402) | 72
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150266) | 73
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150284) | 74
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his policy is on enabling councils to raise a greater proportion of their income themselves. | | (150133) | 75
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what percentage increase in council tax he considers to be profligate; and how he defines low single figure percentage increases. | | (150135) | 76
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the additional £344 million allocated to local authorities in December 2003 by the Treasury will be incorporated into the Revenue Support Grant settlement figure for future years. | | (150136) | 77
N | Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what representations he has received from Taunton Deane Borough Council on the level of increase received in (a) revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates and (b) rent allowances for handling rents and council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement. | | (150065) | 78
N | Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, by what percentage central government funding to Taunton Deane Borough Council has changed in 2004-05. | | (150066) | 79
N | Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the (a) revenue support grant and (b) national non-domestic rate settlement for Taunton Deane was for (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05. | | (150084) | 80
| Matthew Green (Ludlow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the (a) total budget, (b) departmental funding and (c) administration costs for (i) rent assessment panels, (ii) The Ordnance Survey, (iii) The Standards Board for England, (iv) The Housing Corporation, (v) Housing Action Trust, (vi) The Boundary Commission for England, (vii) The Boundary Commission for Wales, (viii) The Property Advisory Group, (ix) The Audit Commission, (x) English Partnerships, (xi) The Rent Service, (xii) The Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate, (xiii) Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, (xiv) The Fire Service College, (xv) The Planning Inspectorate, (xvi) The Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils, (xvii) The Building Regulations Advisory Committee, (xviii) The Community Forum, (xix) The Residential Property Advisory Group and (xx) Valuation Tribunal for this financial year. | | (150099) | 81
| Matthew Green (Ludlow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the area-based initiatives which receive funding from his Department; what the total budget is for each; and what amount each received from his Department in this financial year. | | (150100) | 82
| Matthew Green (Ludlow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list his Department's departmental expenditure limits for 2003-04. | | (150101) | 83
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether it is his policy that powers and funding in relation to skills should transfer from learning and skills councils to elected regional assemblies. | | (150088) | 84
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what account he will take of the Budget Red Book's estimate for the rise in council tax revenues in 2004-05 in determining the level of council tax rises at which he will exercise capping powers. | | (150209) | 85
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the average waiting time is for a person to be rehoused in Chorley for (a) all housing and (b) old age pensioner housing. | | (150406) | 86
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the waiting list figures are in Chorley for (a) all housing and (b) old age pensioner housing for each of the last five years. | | (150407) | 87
| Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many local housing authorities in England have published a housing strategy; and how many of the published strategies contain policies for reducing the incidence of empty homes. | | (150124) | 88
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much social housing grant was spent by (a) the Housing Corporation and (b) local authorities in each region in (i) 2001-02 and (ii) 2002-03. | | (149404) | 89
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many social housing units were built with social housing grants by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) local authorities and (c) registered social landlords without public subsidy, in each year since 1990. | | (149405) | 90
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he intends to publish (a) Table S127 (A1.24) Difference from the Bedroom Standard by Tenure, (b) Table S132 (A1.29) Trends in Difference from the Bedroom Standard 1984 to 2001-02 and (c) Table S140 (A9.6) Difference from the Bedroom Standard by Government Office Region from the Survey of English Housing 2001-02. | | (149406) | 91
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer to the honourable Member for Tewkesbury of 3rd November 2003, Official Report, column 501W, on the tenancy deposit scheme, what the outcome was of the seminar held in December to discuss the case for linking legislation for compulsory measures to protect tenancy deposits to the Law Commission's findings. | | (149434) | 92
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library copies of the papers presented at the seminar held in December to discuss the case for linking legislation for compulsory measures to protect tenancy deposits to the Law Commission's findings. | | (149435) | 93
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will introduce a statutory national tenancy deposit scheme. | | (149436) | 94
N | Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what account his Department asked the Law Commission to take of the issue of protecting tenancy deposits as part of its project on tenure reform; and what evidence the Law Commission requested from consultees on this issue. | | (149437) | 95
| Sir Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library copies of the Chief Executive of the Rent Service's correspondence with the Rent Service's area manager for London since November 2001. | | (150138) | 96
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on his policy on the building of houses on flood plains. | | (149919) | 97
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with planning inspectors about the building of houses in flood plains; and if he will make a statement. | | (149920) | 98
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the minimum council tax level appropriate for a band D home. | | (150123) | 99
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to reform the way in which local councils are funded. | | (150376) | 100
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Prime Minister regarding re-structuring the way in which local councils are funded. | | (150377) | 101
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the (a) average, (b) maximum and (c) minimum council tax is for a band D home. | | (150378) | 102
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to find new sites upon which to build (a) private and (b) social housing; and what budget has been allocated for that purpose in 2003-04. | | (150379) | 103
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what measures he has taken to ensure that new housing estates are not built on land that is prone to flooding; and what plans he has for further measures. | | (150381) | 104
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what percentage of social housing is owned and operated by private housing foundations; and what plans he has for the further transfer of social housing to such foundations. | | (150382) | 105
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the provision of affordable housing; and what plans he has to improve its availability. | | (150383) | 106
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to encourage council tenants to take better care of their rented property. | | (150384) | 107
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has for the re-development of council-owned housing estates during the next 10 years. | | (150385) | 108
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the value of the formula spending share for (a) each older person and (b) each older person for deprivation is for each local authority in 2004-05. | | (150069) | 109
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the funding amount allocated from the European Regional Development Fund is during the 2000 to 2006 period to (a) the North East, (b) the North West and (c) Yorkshire and Humberside. | | (150091) | 110
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, from which budget within his Department the sum for funding for the European Regional Development Fund is allocated. | | (150092) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 111
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (150404) | 112
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150271) | 113
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150280) | 114
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment has been made of (a) disabled children's experience of abuse and (b) the effectiveness of existing systems in protecting disabled children. | | (150130) | 115
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will develop a national strategy for the safeguarding of disabled children through consultation with disabled children and adults and organisations advocating on their behalf. | | (150131) | 116
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 12th January, Official Report, column 503W, on DORE achievement centres, when the meeting between officials and representatives of the DORE achievement centres and the dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit treatment programme will take place. | | (150207) | 117
N | Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) formal, (b) federated and (c) informal collaborations are taking place (i) between secondary schools and (ii) between secondary schools and further education colleges, broken down by local education authority. | | (150025) | 118
N | Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans his Department has to provide help to develop management information systems where secondary schools or further education institutions are (a) undertaking collaborative working and (b) are part of a federated structure. | | (150026) | 119
| Mr Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions the Minister for Children has held with the Lord Chancellor on ensuring the provision of Legal Aid to those who may wish to challenge past decisions to take children into care on the basis of previous cases of sudden infant death in their families. | | (150086) | 120
| Mr Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he is taking to review cases where children have been taken into care on the basis of previous cases of sudden infant death in their families. | | (150087) | 121
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions his Department has held with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the appropriateness of transferring responsibility for skills from learning and skills councils to elected regional assemblies. | | (150089) | 122
N | Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues regarding an automatic assumption of equal right of contact by parents to children who are subject to marital break-up. | | (149757) | 123
N | Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many inspectors have resigned from Ofsted in each year since 1996-97. | | (149872) | 124
N | Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the impact on the number of failing schools of providing a higher score as a result of failing in English than of failing in maths and science. | | (149873) | 125
N | Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools were classified as failing in each year since 1996-97. | | (149874) | 126
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much time secondary school students spent studying the Britsh monarchy in the last period for which figures are available. | | (150360) | 127
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make provision for school children to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen and the United Kingdom. | | (150386) | 128
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what provision is made in the national curriculum for (a) primary and (b) secondary education to teach school children the values and history of the British monarchy. | | (150388) | 129
N | Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether a school governing body can refuse to accept delegation from a local education authority of responsibility for the school meals service. | | (150028) | 130
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the value of the formula spending share for each primary school pupil for deprivation is in each local authority for 2004-05. | | (150070) | 131
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) participation rates in and (b) drop out rates from higher education were in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local education authority. | | (150464) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 132
| Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the rationale is behind the cut-off point of £14,200 for household income above which a family in receipt of working tax credit will not qualify for assistance through the Warm Front scheme. | | (150436) | 133
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150265) | 134
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150283) | 135
N | Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on progress towards the setting up of the National Fallen Stock Scheme, with particular reference to the financial structure of the company concerned. | | (150067) | 136
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many households she estimates are eligible for assistance from her Department's Warm Front Scheme; and how many households qualify for the Warm Homes Plus element of the programme. | | (150085) | 137
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to discontinue the use of aldicarb on crops in the UK. | | (150520) | 138
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made by the Pesticide Safety Directorate of the effects on human health of pesticides containing aldicarb. | | (150521) | 139
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice the Pesticide Safety Directorate has published on the handling of pesticides containing aldicarb. | | (150522) | 140
N | Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding economic means to promote energy efficiency. | | (149747) | 141
| Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the spread of bovine TB to East Yorkshire; and if she will make a statement. | | (150328) | 142
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many investigations the Environment Agency has undertaken in respect of sites licensed by the Drugs Inspectorate for disposal of medicines and pharmaceuticals. | | (150437) | 143
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the (a) thickness and (b) stiffness of twine on the escape properties of a trawl net. | | (150237) | 144
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the use of double twine in the construction of trawl nets on the selectivity of gear; and what the effect has been of permitting the use of different thicknesses of twine on the size of fish caught in North Sea fisheries. | | (150238) | 145
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions in the UK were brought against fishermen in each of the last 10 years for landing black fish; and how many fishermen were convicted. | | (150239) | 146
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proceedings have been brought against shore-side dealers who handle black fish in each of the last 10 years. | | (150240) | 147
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the United Kingdom is in 2003-04 of maintaining the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour Working Group. | | (150241) | 148
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many United Kingdom scientists are (a) attached to and (b) members of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour Working Group. | | (150242) | 149
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of changes in the tonnage of black fish landed by the United Kingdom registered fishing fleet in (a) home and (b) foreign ports in the last five years; and what her estimate is of the tonnage of black fish landed in the last year. | | (150243) | 150
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial contributions her Department made in the last five financial years to fisheries research (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by the European Union; and what the projects were. | | (150244) | 151
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms there are for the accurate measurement of discards from commercial fishing fleets in UK waters; and whether different techniques are applied to catches from non-UK registered vessels. | | (150245) | 152
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the financial contribution made by the United Kingdom Government to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas was for each of the last five financial years; and what proportion of those contributions was spent on fisheries research. | | (150246) | 153
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the significance is of the catch per unit effort index; and what part it plays in estimating fish stocks. | | (150247) | 154
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is possible, under current regulations and using permitted mesh sizes, to catch fish of a length below minimum landing sizes. | | (150248) | 155
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what techniques are available to fishermen to (a) minimise the catch of juvenile fish and (b) maximise the size of fish caught in demersal trawls. | | (150249) | 156
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of (a) visual and (b) aural devices attached to trawls to improve the selectivity of fishing in demersal fisheries. | | (150250) | 157
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from (a) fishermen and (b) their representatives on the (i) application and (ii) utility of selective gear in reducing cod by-catch in haddock fisheries. | | (150251) | 158
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessments her Department has made of the effectiveness of turned-mesh netting in (a) improving the escape rate of juvenile fish and (b) reducing the attendant mortality; and what the operational disadvantages are of such netting. | | (150252) | 159
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effect of (a) square knotless netting and (b) knotted diamond-mesh netting used for escape panels on (i) different species, (ii) the proportion of escapees and (iii) the mortality of escapees. | | (150253) | 160
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what facilities exist in the United Kingdom for flume-tank testing of trawl designs to improve the selectivity of fishing; and what facilities exist in (a) Europe and (b) the USA for this purpose. | | (150294) | 161
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evaluation her Department has made of the suitability of Baltic panels of (a) Danish and (b) Swedish design in North Sea fisheries. | | (150295) | 162
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the difference is in (a) species and (b) size of fish caught between paired trawling and single vessel towing. | | (150296) | 163
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what technical measures, in terms of fishing gear design and operating procedures, can be applied to minimise cod by-catch in prawn fisheries. | | (150297) | 164
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the European Commission and the Fisheries Council on the banning of discards. | | (150298) | 165
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what she estimates the (a) minimum and (b) expected cod by-catch would be from vessels operating in mixed cod and haddock fisheries, using selective gear (i) designed and (ii) adapted to minimise the cod catch. | | (150299) | 166
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultations her Department had with British fishing industry representatives about linking the increase in the haddock quota with spatial management. | | (150300) | 167
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was first informed of the Commission's proposal to link spatial management with the increase in the British haddock quota. | | (150301) | 168
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much time was spent at the December Fisheries Council discussing options for increasing the haddock quota for Scottish boats in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb without resorting to the principle of spatial management. | | (150302) | 169
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of cod sold in the British retail market is caught by British registered boats. | | (150303) | 170
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research she has conducted into the extent to which the level of one fish stock is affected by the levels of fish stocks of similar species sharing the same habitat. | | (150304) | 171
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reliability of catch landing figures obtained by her Department is in determining fish stocks in British fishing waters; what her estimate is of the margin of error in estimations based on this information; what other information her Department uses to determine fish stocks; and what the estimated margins of error are using this information. | | (150305) | 172
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reasons are for the relative decline in cod biomass in the North Sea; and to what extent stocks have been affected by (a) long-term changes in sea temperatures, (b) predation and competition by other fish species, (c) commercial exploitation of food supplies upon which cod stocks rely, (d) seals, (e) overfishing and (f) other factors. | | (150306) | 173
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what independent scientific advice she uses in relation to fisheries management; and if she will publish the advice she has received in relation to increased fishing effort for haddock while protecting cod stocks. | | (150307) | 174
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on research into the development of selective fishing techniques in each of the last five financial years. | | (150308) | 175
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what effect oil and gas (a) rigs and (b) pipelines in the North Sea have on the distribution of (i) cod and (ii) other demersal species. | | (150309) | 176
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has commissioned studies to determine the significance of differences in catchability between (a) survey trawl gear and (b) commercial trawl gear, with particular reference to catches of monkfish. | | (150310) | 177
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the (a) development and (b) testing of the Eurogrid project; what findings have been released; and what the cost is of the United Kingdom contribution to this project. | | (150311) | 178
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what trials have been carried out in British waters of the Icelandic Ex-It cod excluder device. | | (150312) | 179
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase industry participation in the collection of data used for assessments of the levels of fish stocks. | | (150313) | 180
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made in the introduction of compulsory sorting grids in bottom trawls used for industrial fisheries to reduce the by-catch of juvenile round fish. | | (150314) | 181
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the last full meeting of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour Working Group was held; and if she will place a copy of its report in the Library. | | (150315) | 182
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from (a) fishermen and (b) their representatives on the accuracy of scientific assessments of the levels of fish stocks; and what assessment she has made of alternative modelling paradigms from non-International Council for the Exploration of the Sea sources. | | (150316) | 183
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of scientific assessments of the levels of fish stocks. | | (150317) | 184
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the economic impact of including steaming time in the days at sea allowance on the fishing ports of North East England. | | (150318) | 185
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms exist to prevent fishermen who catch quantities of fish in excess of their by-catch allowances from discarding the excess. | | (150319) | 186
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the basis is for measurement of by-catch. | | (150320) | 187
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what limitations have been placed on the locations in which the (a) monkfish and (b) megrim quota awarded to the Scottish fleet can be caught in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb. | | (150321) | 188
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what impact she expects the increase in the Scottish North Sea fleet haddock quota will have on landed prices. | | (150322) | 189
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the effect on market prices is of major quota increases for a fish species. | | (150323) | 190
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the (a) operational and (b) safety impact of including steaming time in the days at sea allowance. | | (150324) | 191
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reason is for including steaming time in the days at sea allowance. | | (150325) | 192
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reason is for excluding pelagic boats from the cod exclusion zone in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas area VIa. | | (150326) | 193
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the approximate landed fish values of the quotas of (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) monkfish and (d) megrim, awarded to the Scottish fishing fleet in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb were for this year. | | (150327) | 194
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the project designed to assess the impact of removing badgers from the ecosystem will also take into account (a) the impact of allowing unrestrained growth of the badger population and (b) the impact of controlled reductions in badger populations to various levels. | | (150473) | 195
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the expected date is of completion of the project designed to assess the impact of removing badgers from the ecosystem; what the budgeted cost of the project is; from which institution the project is being managed; and who the lead scientist is. | | (150474) | 196
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether cod migration occurs from the North Sea to the Atlantic fisheries; and whether migration is increased by inter-species competition and pressure on food supplies. | | (150475) | 197
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the relationship is between the size of herring stocks and the health of cod fisheries in the North Sea, with reference to (a) the fishing effort directed at and (b) stock levels of sand eels. | | (150476) | 198
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the factors that determine whether a fish species will predate on its own spawn; and what measures can be taken to avoid this in commercial fisheries. | | (150477) | 199
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her definition of grey fish is. | | (150478) | 200
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors affect the (a) seaworthiness and (b) ability to trawl in adverse weather conditions of fishing vessels; what effect these factors have on the ability of vessels to exploit fully allocations of days at sea. | | (150479) | 201
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the effect is of the removal of large cod from a fishery on the overall levels of recruitment to a fishery. | | (150480) | 202
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated carrying capacity, represented by biomass tonnage, is of cod in the (a) North Sea and (b) International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb. | | (150481) | 203
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the impact of lightweight high-strength fibres on the (a) selectivity properties and (b) fishing performance of trawl nets is. | | (150482) | 204
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimates are of cod biomass in (a) the North Sea and (b) International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb. | | (150483) | 205
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the effect of high mortality in large cod is on the (a) survival and (b) growth rates of juvenile cod. | | (150484) | 206
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the main cause is of mortality in juvenile cod in the North Sea. | | (150485) | 207
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence her Department has collated on migration of cod stocks (a) to and (b) from the North Sea, and (i) to and (ii) from International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb; and what assessment she has made of whether all cod stocks exhibit similar migration patterns. | | (150486) | 208
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the use of separator trawls as a means of reducing by-catches on non-target species in mixed fisheries; and what regulations govern their use. | | (150487) | 209
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of raised footrope trawls as a means of reducing cod by-catch in mixed fisheries where the target species is haddock. | | (150488) | 210
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20th November 2003, Official Report, column 1200W, how far in terms of linear distance badger culling extended from the buildings in reactive areas which housed cattle which were reported as TB reactors. | | (150489) | 211
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she reconciled the inability to estimate the effect of alternative capture methods of badgers which would remove 100 per cent. of the population with the findings during the Thornbury trial. | | (150490) | 212
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 211W, what conclusions she draws from the data on the location of TB lesions in badgers as to the main route of infection; and whether it is possible to draw similar conclusions in respect of the data available on the location of TB lesions in cattle. | | (150491) | 213
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 218W on bovine TB, how many countries use the current skin sensitivity test as the primary diagnostic tool for bovine TB; and how many have reported problems with this test. | | (150492) | 214
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors determine the placing of badger traps in order to maximise the success of badger culling operations within the context of the Krebs trials; where traps have had to be repositioned to more discrete locations as a result of interference; whether that has required their positioning in sub-optimal locations; and what effect that has had on the conduct and the success of the culling operations. | | (150493) | 215
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the best estimate is of the additional cost to public funds of the (a) interference with and (b) theft of badger traps in the Krebs trials. | | (150494) | 216
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what precautions can be taken by farmers to guarantee freedom from TB in cattle bought into herds; and to what extent she advises that they can rely on a test or other certification attesting to freedom from TB infection. | | (150495) | 217
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will seek from the European Commission permission to compensate farmers who have suffered consequential losses as a result of the suspension of badger culling in reactive areas in the randomised badger culling trials. | | (150496) | 218
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the consultation on the new TB strategy will commence; and whether she expects that the detailed results and conclusions from the Krebs trials will be available prior to that consultation. | | (150497) | 219
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what has been the total expenditure by her Department on investigating the pathogenesis and epidemiology of Bovine TB since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is over the next five years. | | (150498) | 220
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will conduct investigations into whether perturbation in badger populations can be eliminated or substantially reduced by improved culling programme design and execution. | | (150499) | 221
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish data on the prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high incidence in cattle herds. | | (150500) | 222
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to compensate herd owners for uninsurable losses arising from the event of a TB herd breakdown. | | (150501) | 223
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is possible to determine the relative culpability of an owner of a herd in which a TB breakdown is recorded as to why animals become infected. | | (150502) | 224
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what inference she has drawn from the number of slaughterhouse cases of bovine TB as to the efficacy of the TB surveillance programme. | | (150503) | 225
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action is taken in respect of slaughterhouse cases of bovine TB to trace the animals back to the farm of origin; what proportion of these cases were traced back to source in the last five years; and how many herds identified as a result of such action were subsequently confirmed as TB breakdowns. | | (150504) | 226
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has identified a statistically significant correlation between the distribution of TB infection in badgers and the distribution of TB in cattle. | | (150505) | 227
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where slaughterhouse cases of bovine TB are identified as having originated in animals which have transited through livestock markets immediately prior to despatch for slaughter; what measures are taken in those markets to contain the spread of disease; and what action is taken to trace possible contact animals consequently confirmed as TB breakdowns. | | (150506) | 228
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, based on the findings from post mortem examinations of badgers and other data, what her best estimate is of the number of TB-infected badgers existing in England and Wales; and what the best estimate was for that figure in 1994. | | (150507) | 229
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what level of TB in badgers is sufficient for the disease to be considered as epidemic in the population; and how in this context the term endemic differs from the term epidemic. | | (150508) | 230
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the scientific rationale was for the choice of the different distance parameters adopted for the culling zones of badgers in (a) the Gassing Strategy and (b) the Clean Ring Strategy, of the Krebs trials. | | (150509) | 231
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to standardise the collation of data on bovine TB in a format which allows for a comparison with the Office International des Epizootics figures for incidence of TB; what she estimates the costs of so doing would be; and what assessment she has made of the merits of so doing. | | (150510) | 232
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what herd TB breakdowns have been recorded in the last 10 years in areas (a) where there have been no badgers detected and (b) following complete clearance of badgers. | | (150511) | 233
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what distances can be travelled by adult badgers from their sets to their food sources; and what the radii were of the Krebs (a) reactive and (b) proactive areas. | | (150512) | 234
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors increase the susceptibility of (a) badgers and (b) cattle to disease following exposure to M. bovis bacilli. | | (150513) | 235
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many deer have been subject to post mortem examinations by her Department for the presence of TB during the least five years; and how many were found to be infected. | | (150514) | 236
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate is of the population of wild deer in England and Wales; what the estimated prevalence is of bovine TB in that population; and what concentrations there are of the disease in the wild population. | | (150515) | 237
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what historical data are held by her Department on the prevalence of bovine TB in the British deer population; and what those data indicate as to the incidence of bovine TB in that population. | | (150516) | 238
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what causation models, or combinations thereof, are being used by her Department to determine the cause of bovine TB and mechanisms of transmission; what the specific criteria are which make up the models; and which criteria remain to be satisfied before a firm association can be made between the presence of infection in the badger population and the presence of the disease in cattle. | | (150517) | 239
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what conclusions have been drawn by her Department on (a) commissioning the services of contractors during animal health emergencies and (b) the keeping and auditing of accounts; and what advice she will give to contractors who may be requested to supply goods or services to her Department in a future emergency. | | (150518) | 240
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 210W, what the presumptive infective dose range of M. bovis is in respect of cattle; and whether some badgers suffering from bovine TB are capable of excreting sufficient numbers of M. bovis bacilli to constitute such an infective dose. | | (150526) | 241
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the status is of (a) the Independent Science Group and (b) the TB Forum in relation to the control of TB; what requirement there is for her to (i) abide by and (ii) consider the advice of these organisations; and whether these organisations can veto proposals made by her Department. | | (150543) | 242
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many badger setts that have been sticked have subsequently been found to have been recolonised; and what action is taken in the event that such recolonisation is observed. | | (150544) | 243
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to assess and monitor the infection risk from empty badger setts after removal of badgers known to be infected with the TB bacillus which are then recolonised by immigrant badgers. | | (150545) | 244
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects the Oxford University research on badger perturbation being carried out on behalf of her Department to be completed; when the report will be made available; who the lead scientist is; what the protocols are for this work; and what the budgeted cost is. | | (150546) | 245
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 211W, on badgers, what proportion of badgers culled as part of TB control strategies conducted during 1979-97 tested positive for M. bovis; and what the percentage was in (a) 1975-82, (b) 1982-88 and (c) 1988-97. | | (150547) | 246
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 210W, on badgers, what measures can be taken to reduce the risk to badger cubs inhabiting the same sett as an infectious female suckling badger from infection from M. bovis bacilli. | | (150548) | 247
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 217W, what plans she has to extend the restrictions on the sale of milk from farms under TB restrictions. | | (150549) | 248
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 210W, what her estimate is of the typical proportion of badger faeces and urine deposited in latrines from a given social group; what proportion is distributed more generally over grassland; and what risk of M. bovis infection these deposits present to grazing cattle. | | (150550) | 249
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 217W, how many closed herds where disease prevention measures have been judged by her officials to be adequate have suffered TB breakdowns in the last 10 years. | | (150551) | 250
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what specific and general requirements are imposed or otherwise demanded by the European Commission in relation to establishing and proving an audit trail for expenditures incurred and payments made by Her Majesty's Government during the foot and mouth epidemic, in respect of sums repayable in whole or in part by the Commission. | | (150552) | 251
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total value is of the claims made by Her Majesty's Government to the European Commission in respect of costs incurred in dealing with the foot and mouth disease epidemic of 2001; and what the total value is of the payments made by the Commission. | | (150553) | 252
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil liability (a) claims and (b) actions (i) have been initiated and (ii) are pending, by or on behalf of her Department against (A) contractors, (B) farmers and (C) others, in respect of claims made for works undertaken on behalf of her Department; how many court hearings have been completed; how many cases have been successful; and how much money has been (1) recovered and (2) saved as a result of these actions. | | (150554) | 253
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions have been initiated and are pending, by or on behalf of her Department against (a) contractors and (b) farmers, in respect of alleged fraudulent claims or other irregularities relating to (i) claims made for compensation, (ii) works undertaken on behalf of her Department, and (iii) animals slaughtered; how many court hearings have been completed; and how many of the prosecutions have been successful. | | (150555) | 254
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to date is to her Department of (a) auditing and (b) legal fees in respect of (i) investigating claims relating to foot and mouth disease payments, (ii) pursuing and prosecuting alleged or suspected fraudulent claims, and (iii) conducting civil actions. | | (150556) | 255
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total payments made to date are to farmers in respect of compensation for animals slaughtered by her Department, and its predecessor, in relation to the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001. | | (150557) | 256
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total value is of the payments due to farmers in respect of compensation claimed for animals slaughtered by her Department in relation to the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001, that remain unpaid by her Department. | | (150558) | 257
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total value is of work undertaken by contractors in respect of works commissioned by her Department and its predecessor, carried out in relation to the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001, that remain unpaid by her Department. | | (150559) | 258
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at what level in her Department the decision is made to pursue through the criminal courts the prosecution of persons or companies alleged to have committed or suspected of fraudulent activity in matters within the jurisdiction or responsibility of her Department; and whether such decisions are confirmed or reviewed by her or any member of her ministerial team. | | (150560) | 259
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will investigate the (a) adequacy of the grounds and (b) quality of decision-making in her Department in pursuing prosecutions of contractors for alleged fraudulent claims or other irregularities relating to the claims made for the work undertaken for or on behalf of her Department in respect of foot and mouth disease. | | (150561) | 260
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are applied by her Department in determining whether to pursue through the criminal courts the prosecution of persons or companies alleged to have committed or suspected of fraudulent activity in matters within the jurisdiction or responsibility of her Department. | | (150562) | 261
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total payments made to date to contractors in respect of works commissioned by (a) her Department and (b) its predecessor, carried out in relation to the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001 are. | | (150563) | 262
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 212W, what inferences can be drawn from the preponderance of TB lesions found in badgers on post mortem examination arising in the lymphatic nodes of head and chest as to (a) the portal of infection, (b) the possible routes of infection and (c) the risk presented by those badgers to other animals. | | (150564) | 263
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 218W, on bovine TB, whether the occasions of severe interference in the operational Krebs triplets areas represented a significant interference; whether that level of interference affected the conduct and outcome of the trials; and what the effects were of that interference in terms of (a) the outcomes and (b) the costs involved. | | (150565) | 264
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations have been made to her Department concerning the intimidation of contractors and their representatives by officials of her Department in pursuit of reducing or discounting the value of invoices or claims made by them in respect of services provided to her Department in relation to the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic. | | (150566) | 265
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 10th December 2003, Official Report, column 522W, on badgers, what evidence there is that viable M. bovis bacilli remaining in badger setts following the culling of infected denizens can transmit the disease to healthy badgers which subsequently colonise those setts. | | (150567) | 266
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 10th December 2003, Official Report, column 522W, on badgers, whether the reference to the gassing of badgers being considered to be inhumane refers only to the use of hydrogen cyanide gas; and what gases are available for use for the slaughter of subterranean animals which have properties that do not engender distress in those animals. | | (150568) | 267
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 11th December 2003, Official Report, column 539W, what the detailed protocol was for the wildlife survey undertaken as part of the Krebs trials; and whether landowner participation was invited for the specific surveys carried out in pursuance of this survey. | | (150569) | 268
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether material contaminated with the M. bovis bacilli deposited on grassland by badgers and subsequently entrained in hay used for the feeding of cattle is considered to present a significant risk of infection to (a) cattle, (b) farmers and (c) other persons who may handle this material. | | (150570) | 269
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herds were placed under TB restriction in December 2002; and how many of those same herds were still under restriction in October 2003. | | (150571) | 270
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with regard to the TB control operation in Thornbury, what the level was of cattle TB in the trial area prior to the removal of badgers; how many times, by what methods, and how thoroughly the removal was effected; whether these operations led to an elimination of badgers; how soon after the completion of operations badgers recolonised the area; and at what level the recolonisation was noted. | | (150572) | 271
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with regard to the TB control operation in Thornbury, for how long after the completion of operations cattle remained clear of TB, as assessed by use of cattle tuberculin tests. | | (150573) | 272
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the permitted methods are for killing (a) moles and (b) rabbits in their runs and burrows. | | (150574) | 273
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms were affected during the Krebs trials by a partial clearance of the badger population which was subsequently stopped; how many partial clearances were undertaken after a delayed start; and how the incomplete clearances affected (a) the conduct of the trials and (b) their outcome. | | (150575) | 274
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the percentage increase was in the number of TB reactor herds reported in 2003 compared with 2002; and what factors are believed to be reponsible for this increase. | | (150576) | 275
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's statutory responsibilities are under the Animal Health Act 1981 in respect of the elimination of contiguous reservoirs of disease which have zoonotic and animal health implications. | | (150577) | 276
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the proportion of cubs born to infectious sow badgers which themselves go on to develop TB with the potential to spread to other animals; and what assessment she has made of whether this poses a significant threat to (a) other badgers and (b) cattle. | | (150578) | 277
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in how many Krebs reactive areas badger culling was commenced in May 2003; how many farms were involved in these areas; how many of those farms had had (a) one and (b) two 60-day tests after the clearance operations; and what the results were of those tests. | | (150579) | 278
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what liaison takes place between English Nature and her Department in relation to the potential disease status of badgers targeted for removal and relocation. | | (150580) | 279
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what statutory measures exist for the licensing and authorisation of badger translocations; under what conditions licences or authorisations are issued; which Department is responsible for implementing their provisions; and what the nature and level of supervisions are over persons licensed or otherwise authorised to carry out translocations. | | (150581) | 280
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 217W, what warnings were given by her officials to farmers who were asked to volunteer for participation in the Krebs trials about (a) the risks involved in participation and (b) the consequences of failure of all or any part of the trials. | | (150582) | 281
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the sensitivity of the test used on translocated badgers is in (a) positive response and (b) negative response. | | (150583) | 282
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in cases where badgers have been translocated from the Krebs areas, whether her Department was informed of such translocations; and whether landowners were informed. | | (150584) | 283
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methods other than gassing are available for the culling of badgers; and what statutory restrictions apply to those alternatives. | | (150585) | 284
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herds required 60-day tuberculosis-tests in 1988. | | (150586) | 285
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herds require 60-day testing for tuberculosis; and what the estimated annual cost is for this testing programme in 2003-04. | | (150587) | 286
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 10th December 2003, Official Report, column 525W, when she expects to be able to release details of the content and funding of the future TB research programme, with specific reference to the funding of vaccine research. | | (150588) | 287
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cattle were slaughtered on average each year during (a) 1976 to 1982, (b) 1982 to 1988, (c) 1988 to 1997 and (d) 2003 because of TB, including reactors, dangerous contacts and IRs; and what percentage this represented of the national herd in each case. | | (150589) | 288
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what changes there were in the protocol for badger trapping in the period 1975 to 1997; and what effect they had on the success rate of trapping operations. | | (150590) | 289
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated infective dose is of TB bacilli (var bovis) in respect of cattle, by reference to infection portals; what the peak load is of bacilli that can be excreted in the urine of infected badgers; and what the predicted die-off rate is of the TB bacilli on grassland. | | (150591) | 290
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 212W, on badgers, what her best estimate is of the typical kill rates of badgers during the Krebs culling programmes; what the worst rates were; and what the impact was of low kill rates on the (a) conduct and (b) outcome of the trials. | | (150592) | 291
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, columns 214-5W, on bovine TB, and 15th December 2003, Official Report, column 631W, on badgers, what plans she has to revise guidelines to farmers on the height, positioning and protection of feed and water troughs following the findings of the Central Veterinary Laboratory on the climbing capabilities of badgers. | | (150594) | 292
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 216W, what criteria have to be satisfied by (a) farmers and (b) livestock hauliers in order to gain multiple pick-up approval; who is responsible for granting approval; and what costs are involved in granting approval. | | (150595) | 293
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 215W, what epidemiological inferences can be drawn from the observed seasonal trends in the incidence of TB in cattle. | | (150596) | 294
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 8th December 2003, Official Report, column 216W, on bovine TB, what other rapid assay techniques are (a) available and (b) in the course of development which have the potential to speed up the detection of M. bovis in suspected TB lesions submitted for laboratory analysis. | | (150597) | 295
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the role of the Environment Agency in the planning process with regard to the building of houses on flood plains. | | (149921) | 296
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect houses that have been built on flood plains. | | (150380) | 297
N | Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the recent research by Dr Charles M. Benbrook on the impact of GM crops on pesticide use in the United States. | | (149875) | 298
| Dr Phyllis Starkey (Milton Keynes South West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department collates on the (a) quantity and (b) type of (i) therapeutic and (ii) non-therapeutic drugs given to chickens in the UK in the last year. | | (150218) | 299
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what escape behaviour (a) haddock and (b) whiting exhibit to avoid towing gear. | | (150090) | 300
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the ground gear specifications are for a GOV trawl. | | (150121) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 301
| Mr David Atkinson (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) budget and (b) UK contribution to the budget for the International Criminal Court (i) is for the current year and (ii) will be for each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. | | (150219) | 302
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the outcome of the visit by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to Ethiopia and Eritrea. | | (150112) | 303
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department has spent on (i) advertising and publicity and (ii) information campaigns in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04 (estimated); and if he will make a statement. | | (149922) | 304
| Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he plans to have with his EU counterparts about the introduction by Israel of regulations forbidding foreign nationals entry to territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority without written prior authorisation from the Israeli Government. | | (150132) | 305
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150269) | 306
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150287) | 307
N | Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the steps which need to be taken to bring about peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo. | | (149198) | 308
N | Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) green and (b) energy efficiency programmes are pursued by his Department in (i) the UK and (ii) missions abroad. | | (149199) | 309
N | Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the modernising of the St Helena constitution. | | (150095) | 310
N | Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the principal reasons were for Her Majesty's Government's refusal to accept the St Helena proposals for a new constitution. | | (150096) | 311
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to accompany Her Majesty the Queen on State visits in the next two years. | | (150387) | 312
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what overseas visits are planned for Her Majesty the Queen during the next two years. | | (150390) | 313
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent communications he has had with the governments of the (a) overseas territories and (b) crown dependencies. | | (150424) | 314
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how often he communicated with the governments of Britain's overseas territories in the last three years. | | (150428) | 315
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost of administering Britain's overseas territories is in 2003-04. | | (150430) | 316
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to visit overseas territories over the next year. | | (150431) | 317
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on Government policy on Gibraltar. | | (150432) | 318
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the London office of the governments of (a) the Falkland Islands, (b) Gibraltar and (c) the Cayman Islands during the last 12 months. | | (150433) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 319
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the individuals and organisations from which his Department, its executive agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible received a response to the consultation, Reforming the NHS complaints procedure: a listening document. | | (149869) | 320
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the individuals and organisations from which his Department, its executive agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible received a response to the consultation, Tackling health inequalities: Consultation on a plan for delivery. | | (149870) | 321
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the individuals and organisations from which his Department, its executive agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible received a response to the consultation, Reform of the General Medical Council: a paper for consultation. | | (149871) | 322
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to publish responses to the consultation document, Making Amends; and when policy proposals will be published. | | (149917) | 323
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer patients waited longer than two months between urgent general practitioner referral and first treatment in each of the last eight years. | | (149918) | 324
N | Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS dentists are required to issue a warning to patients before their names are removed from the national database of NHS patients; and what guidance he gives on the removal of names. | | (150068) | 325
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was borrowed from the NHS Bank by each strategic health authority in the past 12 months; how much was repaid to the NHS bank by each strategic health authority in the last 12 months; and how much the NHS Bank forecasts it will lend to each strategic health authority in the next 12 months. | | (150461) | 326
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the latest financial position of each strategic health authority is, broken down by (a) forecast outturn, (b) financial risk, (c) brokerage required to achieve financial balance and (d) loans taken from the NHS Bank. | | (150462) | 327
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150268) | 328
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150286) | 329
| Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the recommendations in Circular HSC2001/016:LAC(2001)23 have been met by local authorities; and if he will make a statement. | | (150098) | 330
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the South Sefton Primary Care Trust (a) network and (b) boundaries are. | | (150143) | 331
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) diabetologists, (b) senior nurses, (c) paediatric diabetologists, (d) paediatric senior nurses, (e) psychologists and (f) other diabetes specialist staff there are in South Sefton Primary Care Trust. | | (150144) | 332
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what publications and media outlets were used in the sex lottery campaign; and how often each outlet was used. | | (150292) | 333
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy over the last two years. | | (150210) | 334
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for a scan for patients with a suspected stroke was in each of the last three years for which there are records. | | (150211) | 335
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many public bodies were operating in the health service in 1997; how many are operating; what plans he has to review their number and purpose; and if he will make a statement. | | (150212) | 336
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on thefts of (a) controlled drugs and (b) time-expired pharmaceuticals from sites disposing of NHS waste. | | (150441) | 337
| Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) hospital and (b) coroners' post-mortems were carried out in each of the last 10 years. | | (150359) | 338
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money has been allocated to NHS services in the London Borough of Havering for financial year 2004-05. | | (150361) | 339
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of the NHS budget for the current financial year has been allocated to the maintenance of buildings. | | (150362) | 340
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England were treated for a sexually transmitted disease in the most recent year for which figures are available. | | (150363) | 341
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of buildings in which NHS treatment is provided in the London Borough of Havering. | | (150364) | 342
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of NHS spending in the London Borough of Havering was spent on the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of sexually transmitted diseases in the last period for which figures are available. | | (150365) | 343
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost of running a general practitioner surgery was in the last year for which figures are available. | | (150366) | 344
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many general practitioners were appointed in the London Borough of Havering in the last 12 months; and how many vacancies there were in that period. | | (150367) | 345
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many general practitioners are in practice in the Havering area. | | (150368) | 346
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average amount of funding provided to a general practitioner surgery is in (a) England and (b) the London Borough of Havering. | | (150371) | 347
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what means a general practitioner practice can increase its level of funding. | | (150372) | 348
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many general practitioner surgeries in Romford receive NHS funding. | | (150373) | 349
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the operating costs of the NHS in the London Borough of Havering were in the financial year 2003-04. | | (150374) | 350
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money the Havering NHS Trust was given in the financial year 2003-04. | | (150375) | 351
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cataract operations were performed in the London Borough of Havering in 2003. | | (150434) | 352
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost of performing a cataract operation in the NHS was in the London Borough of Havering in 2003; and what the cost was in (a) Barking and (b) Brentwood. | | (150435) | 353
| Phil Sawford (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 19th January, Official Report, columns 1069-70W, on North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust, when he expects to receive the results of the audit of the use of negative extrathoracic pressure at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust. | | (150593) | 354
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals have been closed in Wales since 1997. | | (150527) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 355
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150260) | 356
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150282) | 357
N | Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which recommendations of the National Radiological Protection Board report on health and safety issues of terrestrial trunked radio have been implemented. | | (149177) | 358
N | Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research into the health and safety issues of terrestrial trunked radio his Department has collated since July 2001. | | (149196) | 359
N | Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will commission further research into the health and safety issues of terrestrial trunked radio masts. | | (149197) | 360
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons his Department deems it unnecessary to be required to report to Parliament the numbers of Risk of Sexual Harm Orders that are issued on an annual basis. | | (150126) | 361
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what means he has achieved reductions in (a) burglary, (b) vehicle crime and (c) violent crime since 1997. | | (150127) | 362
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he intends to sustain the planned increase in police numbers. | | (150128) | 363
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the differences between the proposed new measures on asylum policy and the present immigration rules. | | (150178) | 364
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the case for (a) using tagging with an intensive supervision order and (b) making tagged offenders who can afford it pay a rental for tagging equipment. | | (150180) | 365
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he intends to fund the prison service in the next (a) five and (b) 10 years. | | (150181) | 366
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the Code of Practice on the police use of firearms and less lethal weapons. | | (150183) | 367
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the results of the consultation exercise on police reform launched on 4th November 2003 will be available. | | (150184) | 368
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on total recorded crime of changes in recording practice since 1997-98. | | (150185) | 369
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects measures introduced by the Department to result in a reduction of recorded crime. | | (150186) | 370
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the findings of Mr Stephen Shaw's investigation into the management of Yarl's Wood Removal Centre will be published; and how they will be made available. | | (150190) | 371
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local initiatives have benefited from the Home Office Challenge Fund; and how much each local initiative has received. | | (150191) | 372
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Office Challenge Fund will continue indefinitely; what funding will be made available in each of the next five years; and what criteria are used in allocating funding from the Challenge Fund. | | (150192) | 373
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where the video showing the Parole Board at work, produced during 2002-03, is available. | | (150193) | 374
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the number of prisoners eligible for parole and the number of those who have applied since 2000. | | (150194) | 375
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many risk of sexual harm orders have been issued. | | (150331) | 376
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what conclusions the Department has reached on data collection methods for the assessment of the number of failed asylum seekers remaining in the UK. | | (150332) | 377
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target for the removal of failed asylum seekers has been set. | | (150334) | 378
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to encourage participation in the Voluntary Assisted Return Programme. | | (150335) | 379
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision is in place for asylum seekers delayed from leaving the United Kingdom through no fault of their own, under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. | | (150336) | 380
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that child asylum seekers are only detained for very short periods prior to removal. | | (150337) | 381
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many strip searches have been conducted at removal centres in the last 12 months. | | (150338) | 382
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made in ensuring consistent standards in removal centres. | | (150339) | 383
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the booking of flights for departing asylum seekers is centrally co-ordinated by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. | | (150340) | 384
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on changes in sentence lengths since 1991. | | (150350) | 385
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the fear of being caught is used as a deterrent to would-be offenders. | | (150351) | 386
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to tackle the problem of persistent offenders. | | (150352) | 387
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of drug treatment and testing orders. | | (150353) | 388
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are taken to ensure consistency of sentencing practice. | | (150354) | 389
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the reasons for non-collection of fines. | | (150355) | 390
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of theft of (a) pesticides containing aldicarb and (b) other pesticides have been reported in each of the last five years; and what quantities of pesticide have been (i) reported stolen, (ii) reported missing and (iii) recovered. | | (150519) | 391
| Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish all the responses to his consultation paper, Compensation and Support for Victims of Crime. | | (150139) | 392
| Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was paid by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each of the last 10 years, broken down by type of crime; and what proportion was paid to victims of crimes (a) when the criminal was arrested, (b) when the criminal was arrested and charged and (c) when the criminal was arrested, charged and successfully prosecuted, in each year. | | (150140) | 393
| Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the employers he has met to discuss his proposals to make them responsible for compensating their workers who are injured in the course of duty. | | (150141) | 394
| Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the incidence of the kidnapping of dogs has been in the last 12 months. | | (150093) | 395
| Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what strategy is in place to counter the effects of professional dog-nappers. | | (150094) | 396
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 15th January, Official Report, column 894W, on the Terrorism Act, if he will break down, by region, the stops and searches carried out since 2001 under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000; what reasons were given for using these powers; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increases. | | (150329) | 397
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the success to date of anti-social behaviour orders in Gloucestershire. | | (150425) | 398
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) made and (b) breached in each police authority area; and if he will make a statement. | | (150426) | 399
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on inspection procedures at sites licensed by the Drugs Inspectorate for disposal of medicines and pharmaceuticals. | | (150438) | 400
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the minimum security procedures at sites licensed by the Drugs Inspectorate for disposal of medicines and pharmaceuticals. | | (150439) | 401
| Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been in the last five years for the offence of theft of (a) controlled drugs and (b) time-expired pharmaceuticals from sites disposing of NHS waste. | | (150440) | 402
N | Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the time it takes to transfer (a) male and (b) female remand prisoners to prison from court. | | (149526) | 403
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, why statistics on crime in Wales are not separated from statistics for England. | | (150463) | 404
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisons have been closed in Wales since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (150465) | 405
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many female prisoners are from Wales, broken down by offences for which they are held. | | (150466) | 406
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many life sentence prisoners are being held in prisons in England (a) whose last place of residence before sentence was in Wales and (b) who have requested a transfer to prison in Wales. | | (150467) | 407
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he last received a report on policing in North Wales from the Chief Constable of North Wales Police. | | (150468) | 408
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many young offenders from Wales there were in penal institutions at the latest date for which figures are available. | | (150469) | 409
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to accommodate more youth offenders from Wales in Wales. | | (150470) | 410
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners from Wales are held in prison in England, broken down by offences for which they are held. | | (150471) | 411
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners there are in each Welsh prison. | | (150472) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 412
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to his Answer of 19th January, Official Report, column 929W, on Burundi, what assessment he has made of the levels of cholera in the Cibitoke region of Burundi since December 2003. | | (150103) | 413
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that food aid in Ethiopia is purchased from local farmers. | | (150104) | 414
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on the predicted harvest in Ethiopia and its impact on the numbers requiring food aid in that country. | | (150105) | 415
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what shortfall exists in the World Food Programme appeal from July 2003 for food aid in Southern Africa; what impact the shortfall has had on the ability to deal with the humanitarian situation in the region; and what steps are being taken to make up the shortfall. | | (150106) | 416
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on malaria levels in Zimbabwe. | | (150107) | 417
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many Angolan refugees in Zambia he estimates will reject the voluntary repatriation programme; and what assessment he has made of the impact this will have on (a) the humanitarian requirements in Zambia and (b) the humanitarian requirements in Angola. | | (150108) | 418
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the ability of the Democratic Republic of Congo to hold a general election in 2005; and if he will make a statement. | | (150109) | 419
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the humanitarian impact which the closure of Intifada camps Number one and Number two by Sudanese authorities will have; and if he will make a statement. | | (150110) | 420
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations he has made to the Government of Angola about ensuring (a) greater transparency in the management of oil revenues and (b) that oil revenues are focused on social programmes in that country. | | (150111) | 421
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the supplies of anti-retroviral drugs in Nigeria; and what steps he will take to assist in the event of a shortfall. | | (150113) | 422
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150267) | 423
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150285) | 424
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures are in place to provide the poorest families of South Africa with (a) water, (b) power and (c) health facilities. | | (150343) | 425
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the underlying cause of the 50 per cent. rise in basic service prices in South Africa; and what is being done to remedy this. | | (150344) | 426
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures are in place to provide people living in the slums of Bangladesh with (a) clean water and (b) electricity. | | (150345) | 427
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures are in place to aid the employees of garment factories in Central America who are exploited by their employers. | | (150346) | 428
| Mr John MacDougall (Central Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on constructing an airport on St Helena. | | (150097) | 429
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what amounts were spent by his Department on (a) reconstruction of civilian infrastructure and (b) humanitarian relief in the first 100 days following the end of high intensity military operations in Iraq. | | (150222) | 430
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent estimate had been made of the state of essential civilian infrastucture prior to the commencement of the military conflict in Iraq; and what plans his Department prepared for maintenance and repairs of the infrastructure. | | (150223) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 431
| Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the current security arrangements at Northern Ireland's ports and airports. | | (150460) | 432
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (150403) | 433
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150257) | 434
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150277) | 435
| Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether, when in May 2001 an employee of the Department of Education in Northern Ireland was found to have harassed a colleague and subjected to a disciplinary charge, whether that employee was, in accordance with the Pay and Conditions of Service Code of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, provided with the detail of the case. | | (150427) | Questions to the Prime Minister 436
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Prime Minister, what the current status of Britain's red line issues on the European constitution is; whether the British view on those issues was accepted by the Inter-governmental Conference; and whether the issues have to be re-opened. | | (150199) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland 437
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 2002-03. | | (149915) | 438
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150256) | 439
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Office occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150278) | 440
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he last met representatives of the Scottish whisky industry; and what plans he has to do so in the future. | | (150394) | 441
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has held with (a) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (b) Halifax Bank of Scotland and (c) Clydesdale Bank concerning the provision of banking services in the Post Office; and if he will make a statement. | | (150396) | 442
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the impact on the Scottish rural post office network of three of the major Scottish banks not offering full bank services at the Post Office; and if he will make a statement. | | (150397) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 443
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150263) | 444
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150273) | 445
N | Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list (a) the allocations to area-based Business Link teams, (b) the expenditure per head of population in each area and (c) the basis formula for the distribution of resources to each area for (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05. | | (149624) | 446
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many and what percentage of working parents requesting (a) flexible working and (b) adoption leave since April 2003 were women. | | (150347) | 447
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the full report on the Work-Life Balance survey will be published. | | (150348) | 448
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the level of discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace. | | (150349) | 449
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much public subsidy has been given to British Energy (a) to cover cash shortfall for unexpected maintenance works and (b) for other reasons; how much interest is repayable; and when she expects the money to be repaid. | | (150213) | 450
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) personal and (b) company bankruptcies there were in each of the last three years for which there are records; what assessment she has made of recent trends; and if she will make a statement. | | (150214) | 451
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action she is taking (a) to improve access to investment capital and (b) to provide other support to small businesses; and if she will make a statement. | | (150215) | 452
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research has been undertaken by her Department on consumer attitudes to locating call centre jobs and services offshore. | | (149200) | 453
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research has been undertaken by her Department to assess the regional impact of locating services and jobs offshore. | | (149201) | 454
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken by her Department to assess the economic costs and benefits to the labour market, in particular to women, of UK call centre jobs being located offshore. | | (149202) | 455
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research her Department has undertaken into whether costs savings are achieved by those UK companies who have located jobs abroad; and whether cost savings are passed on to the consumer. | | (149203) | 456
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment has been made by her Department of (a) the long-term trends in moving UK jobs and services abroad and (b) the benefits derived by UK manufacturing, utilities and financial services. | | (149522) | 457
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the effect of offshoring jobs abroad on UK trade and industry. | | (149523) | 458
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she will publish her Department's study into offshoring of UK call centre jobs. | | (149524) | 459
N | Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment has been made of the quality of customer service achieved by those companies which have offshored jobs abroad; and how customer service has changed. | | (149525) | 460
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the outcome was of each of the completed public consultations on proposed post office closures in Wales. | | (150102) | 461
N | Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will take steps to introduce legislation prohibiting trading on Boxing Day. | | (149970) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 462
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (150405) | 463
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150270) | 464
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150288) | 465
| Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is meant by serious traffic disruption in Part 4 of the Traffic Management Bill. | | (150201) | 466
| Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the streetwork provisions in the Traffic Management Bill on urban regeneration. | | (150202) | 467
| Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Traffic Management Bill on utilities infrastructure investment programmes, with particular reference to (a) water and gas mains replacement and (b) electricity cable renewal and upgrading. | | (150203) | 468
| Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to consult Ofgem on the additional costs envisaged from the introduction of permit schemes, as set out in the Traffic Management Bill. | | (150204) | 469
| Mr Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of the likely costs per (a) water, (b) gas, (c) electricity and (d) telecommunications customer arising from the introduction of permit schemes as set out in the Traffic Management Bill. | | (150205) | 470
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on (a) overnight parking facilities for commercial vehicles and (b) dedicated rest areas. | | (150217) | 471
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what impact the Traffic Management Bill will have on motorcyclists; and if he will make a statement. | | (150142) | 472
N | Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure the long-term future of the Thornbury-based Vale Link Community Transport scheme; and if he will make a statement. | | (150075) | 473
N | Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether airlines operating in UK airspace are banned from (a) Swiss, (b) Belgian and (c) Dutch airspace. | | (149971) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales 474
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Office is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150264) | 475
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Office occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150281) | Questions to the Minister for Women 476
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Minister for Women, if she will make a statement on the work of the (a) Informed Choice programme and the (b) Extending Working Lives programme. | | (150146) | 477
| Mr Shaun Woodward (St Helens South):To ask the Minister for Women, what the Government's policy is on transparency of remuneration in relation to equal pay; and what plans the Government has to achieve equal pay for men and women performing the same job description where women are paid less than their male counterparts. | | (150293) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 478
| Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission further investigation into the effects of the proposal in the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs' Report, Aspects of the Economics of an Ageing Population, for a citizenship pension based on years of residence. | | (150395) | 479
N | Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of women's pension provision. | | (149755) | 480
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many civil servants, broken down by grade, there are in the Department and the agencies for which the Department is responsible; and what the figures were in January 1997. | | (150258) | 481
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much space, expressed in square metres, the Department occupies for the offices of civil servants in (a) central London and (b) Greater London. | | (150276) | 482
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons a compensation award counts as capital for benefits calculations. | | (150129) | 483
N | Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) rent allowance, (b) council tax benefit and (c) non-housing revenue account rent allowance actual settlement was for Taunton Deane Borough Council for 2003-04; and what the provisional settlement for each was for 2004-05. | | (150064) | 484
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland qualify for the winter fuel payment; how many individuals in each receives a winter fuel payment; and what the estimated expenditure on winter fuel payment was in each country in 2003-04. | | (150291) | 485
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners were in recept of pension credit in Scotland as at (a) 31st October 2003, (b) 30th November 2003 and (c) 31st December 2003. | | (150399) | 486
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost would be of increasing the upper age limit on claiming disability living allowance to (i) 70, (ii) 75 and (iii) 80 years; what estimate he has made of the likely number of beneficiaries; and what take-up assumptions are made in this calculation. | | (150450) | 487
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer, net of savings in means-tested benefits and additional tax revenues, of paying a full basic state pension to each individual, regardless of contribution record, at the rate of the guarantee credit, from the age of (a) 65, (b) 70 and (c) 75 years; and if he will estimate in each case the cost in each of the following four years on the assumption that the pension was then indexed to earnings. | | (150451) | 488
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the (a) number and (b) percentage of working age people contributing to a non-state pension scheme. | | (150452) | 489
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the (a) number and (b) percentage of working age people accumulating rights in a non-state pension scheme. | | (150453) | 490
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the impact on his Department's budget of contracting the self-employed with immediate effect into the state second pension, in each of the next 20 years. | | (150454) | 491
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the annual cost of increasing the state pension in line with the usual UK uprating for UK citizens who reside in countries where their UK state pension is frozen. | | (150455) | 492
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the effect on expenditure on the basic state pension in each of the next five years of ascribing to all persons below state pension age a full year's National Insurance contributions in lieu of their actual contributions in all future years. | | (150456) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 493
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on progress in establishing an appropriate method for measuring net migration into the UK. | | [Transferred] (150333) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 494
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how the Government intends to deal with judicial review of decisions formerly made by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal. | | [Transferred] (150179) | 495
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what steps are taken to satisfy district judges that each person consenting to extradition has had access to legal advice. | | [Transferred] (150341) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 496
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what central guidance is issued by his Department in relation to the display by local councils of the qualifying rules for council tax disability reduction, with particular reference to occupants of Band A properties with disabilities. | | [Transferred] (150423) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 497
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, for what reason the time limit given to Cambridgeshire County Council for an appeal against the Government's grant settlement is 27th January. | | [Transferred] (150134) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 498
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has (a) to second (i) electoral registration officers and (ii) other officials and (b) to provide resources to enable the Iraqi Governing Council to facilitate free and fair elections; and if he will make a statement. | | [Transferred] (150216) | 499
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in what form minutes were taken of the Inter-governmental Conference on the European Constitution; who took them; to whom they are available; and where they are available. | | [Transferred] (150196) | Questions to the Solicitor General 500
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Solicitor General, how many cases the Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted on Merseyside which concern domestic violence which have been pursued by the police as primary complainant without the corroboration of the individual assaulted. | | [Transferred] (150145) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 501
N | Mr Ian Davidson (Glasgow Pollok):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what support she is providing to the shipbuilding industry. | | [Question Unstarred] (149745) | 502
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 19th January, Official Report, column 922W, on reinstatement committees, if she will make a statement on the training regime undergone by members of employment tribunals, with particular reference to reinstatement committees. | | [Transferred] (150208) | 503
| Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what measures she has taken to protect trains carrying nuclear fuel and spent nuclear fuel through Essex from terrorist attack. | | [Transferred] (150523) | 504
| Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the vulnerability to terrorist attack of trains travelling through Essex carrying nuclear fuel and spent nuclear fuel. | | [Transferred] (150524) | 505
| Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many trains per month travel in Essex carrying (a) nuclear fuel and (b) spent nuclear fuel. | | [Transferred] (150525) | 506
| Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what sums of money put into the National Business Angel Network have been written off. | | [Transferred] (150195) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 507
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people benefit from the Vehicle Excise Duty exemption for people with the mobility component for disability living allowance; and what is the average amount of money they will save in 2003-04. | | [Transferred] (150449) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales 508
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much bovine TB compensation has been paid in Wales. | | [Transferred] (150330) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 509
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the average level of employer contributions, net of tax relief, into stakeholder pension schemes since their introduction. | | [Transferred] (150458) |
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