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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Wednesday 28 January 2004
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Wednesday 28 January 2004
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Wednesday 28 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 Wednesday 28 January of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Wednesday 28 January see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office 1
| Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list those individuals and organisations (a) to whom (i) his Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sent a copy of the consultations (A) Private action, public benefit: A review of charities and the wider not for profit sector, (B) The future of emergency planning in England and Wales: a discussion document and (C) Towards equality and diversity: implementing the employment and race directives and (b) from whom each received a response in each case. | | (151655) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 2
N | Mr Tony Banks (West Ham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list (a) ivory and (b) ivory products seized by HM Customs and Excise in each of the last five years. | | (150961) | 3
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice the Inland Revenue has provided in relation to the provision of statutory sick pay for temporary workers; and what the legal basis is upon which that advice has been made. | | (151834) | 4
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations have been made to the Inland Revenue in relation to its advice on the provision of statutory sick pay for temporary workers. | | (151835) | 5
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targets have been set for the answering of correspondence by the Inland Revenue. | | (151836) | 6
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much correspondence to the Inland Revenue at present remains unanswered after (a) three, (b) six and (c) nine months. | | (151837) | 7
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the shipping industry to discuss plans to prevent workers on offshore installations from receiving the foreign earnings deduction benefit; and if he will make a statement. | | (151603) | 8
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to limit the entitlement to foreign earnings deductions for seafarers serving on ships registered in the UK or other EU countries; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact such a change would have on the UK shipping sector. | | (151605) | 9
| Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his latest estimate is of the cost of United Kingdom military operations in Iraq. | | (151656) | 10
| Denzil Davies (Llanelli):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total value was of the taxable income from employment in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available. | | (151704) | 11
| Denzil Davies (Llanelli):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount raised from VAT charged on goods imported into the United Kingdom was in each of the last three available financial years. | | (151723) | 12
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional revenue the Treasury will receive as a result of the changes to small company taxation on dividends proposed to take effect in 2004. | | (151773) | 13
| Mr Huw Edwards (Monmouth):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received about the misselling of endowment policies. | | (151571) | 14
| Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the last occasion was that a British citizen was charged under (a) section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 and (b) section 170(2) of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979; and what resulted from these charges. | | (151855) | 15
| Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress is being made in discussions with the Thalidomide Trust with regard to the tax treatment of payments to victims. | | (151606) | 16
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on value for money in public service agreements relating to the environment. | | (151682) | 17
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) countries which have abolished tax stamp regimes for whisky and other spirits, (b) countries which, after consideration, decided against introducing tax stamps and (c) countries which have tax stamps regimes; and what the outcome of those discussions was. | | (151694) | 18
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on free trade of tax stamps. | | (151695) | 19
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect he expects the electronic control of movements systems which will be in place in the EU by 2009 to have on tax stamp regimes. | | (151696) | 20
N | Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times staff at the Inland Revenue have denied tax deductibility on payments, under section 577A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988, on the basis that the payment was (a) a suspected bribe and (b) business entertainment on an overseas contract, since November 1997. | | (151441) | 21
N | Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many reports of evidence of overseas bribery or suspected bribery by a UK company have been passed to the Inland Revenue's Special Compliance Officer by Inland Revenue staff since November 1997; and how many of these reports were passed on by Inland Revenue to the (a) prosecution and (b) law enforcement agencies. | | (151442) | 22
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the balance of trade between Wales and (a) the rest of the United Kingdom, (b) the rest of the European Union and (c) the rest of the world was for each year since 1997. | | (151757) | 23
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the levels of inward investment in Wales for each year since 1990, broken down by (a) source country and (b) destination by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area. | | (151758) | 24
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many jobs there were in the manufacturing sector in Wales in each year since 1997; and what manufacturing sector output was as a proportion of GDP in Wales in each year since 1997. | | (151759) | 25
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the housing market in Wales. | | (151760) | 26
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) RPI, (b) RPI-X and (c) CPI was for Wales in each year since 1997. | | (151761) | 27
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes have been made to the Barnett Formula with regard to the updating of population statistics; and when he expects the Barnett Formula to equalise spending per head between England and Scotland. | | (151762) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 28
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (151581) | 29
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans he has to extend the public defender system. | | (151774) | 30
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what measures he plans to reduce the age profile of magistrates' benches, with specific reference to rural areas. | | (151776) | 31
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what measures he is taking to deal with the problems caused by (a) ineffective and (b) cracked trials. | | (151777) | 32
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans he has to extend the use of video links for the purpose of sentencing, where appropriate. | | (151778) | 33
| Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list those individuals and organisations (a) to whom (i) his Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sent a copy of the consultations (A) Combining English local authority, Greater London Authority and European Parliament elections: a consultation paper, (B) Modernising the civil courts: a consultation paper and (C) Constitutional reform: next steps for the House of Lords and (b) from who each received a response in each case. | | (151651) | 34
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, pursuant to the letter sent by the honourable Member for Leicester East to Miss Fitzmaurice on 2nd December 2003, what progress has been made in finding the file of Mr Balwant Singh. | | (151575) | 35
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, when he last met the Lord Chief Justice to discuss his proposals to create a Judicial Appointments Commission. | | (151658) | 36
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, who the members of the (a) Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace, (b) Advisory Committees on General Commissioners of Income Tax, (c) Civil Proecedure Rule Committees, (d) Judicial Studies Board, (e) Council of Tribunals and (f) Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151815) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 37
| Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list those individuals and organisations (a) to whom (i) her Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible sent a copy of the consultations (A) Review of lottery funding: a consultation paper on Lottery distribution policy, (B) New services: BBC public consultation final report and (C) Draft Media Ownership (Local Radio) Order 2003 and (b) from who each received a response in each case. | | (151652) | 38
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who the members of the (a) National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, (b) Public Lending Right Advisory Committee, (c) Radio Authority, (d) Reviewing Committees on the Export of Works of Art and (e) Royal National Theatre were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151816) | 39
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who the members of the (a) Independent Television Commission, (b) Library and Information Commission, (c) Museum of Science and Industry, (d) National Film and Television School and (e) National Lottery Charities Board were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151817) | 40
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who the members of the (a) British Tourist Authority, (b) Crafts Council, (c) English Heritage, (d) English Tourist Board and (e) Horniman Museum were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151818) | 41
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who the members of the (a) Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection, (b) Advisory Council on Libraries, (c) Architectural Heritage Fund, (d) Arts Council of England and (e) British Film Institute were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151819) | 42
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who the members of (a) S4C and
(b) the Treasure Valuation Committee were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151820) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 43
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what provision the Department has made for exceptional legal costs associated with litigation with disposal contractors. | | (151582) | 44
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sets of barristers' chambers have been employed by the Disposal Services Agency for litigation against disposal contractors since 1997, broken down by litigation action. | | (151589) | 45
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) external legal and (b) total costs were of settling each claim by the Disposal Services Agency against disposal contractors in each year since 1997, broken down by contractor. | | (151590) | 46
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the accounts of the Disposal Services Agency indicated costs incurred for legal action involving disposal contractors in each year since 1997. | | (151591) | 47
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which disposal contractors are in litigation with the Disposal Services Agency; and how many other disputes may result in litigation, broken down by contractor. | | (151592) | 48
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many disposal contractors the Disposal Services Agency has been in litigation with on contractual matters in each quarter since 1997, broken down by contractor; and how many have been settled by each year end. | | (151593) | 49
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which disposal contractors have dealt with the Disposal Services Agency since 1997. | | (151594) | 50
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF stations there were in the UK in (a) 2003 and (b) 1993; and how many accommodated flying operations in each year. | | (151629) | 51
| Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of UK operations during the war in Iraq Operation Telic represents. | | (151576) | 52
N | Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) agencies and companies operating on his behalf have had with Parker Plan road compaigners in respect of road construction in or near the south-east corner of Boscombe Down Airfield. | | (150806) | 53
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on security at RAF stations. | | (151684) | 54
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Trident submarines are on active service; and how many are being repaired. | | (151595) | 55
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) missiles and (b) warheads are deployed on Trident submarines; and what the approximate yield of the nuclear warheads deployed is. | | (151596) | 56
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what circumstances the Government would (a) deploy Trident nuclear weapons and (b) deploy Trident nuclear missiles on a first strike basis. | | (151597) | 57
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which threats the UK's Trident nuclear weapons are (a) intended to deter and (b) targeted against. | | (151598) | 58
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the role of the Trident programme is in combating international terrorism. | | (151599) | 59
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system is due to come to the end of its service period; when a decision is due on whether to commission a new UK nuclear weapons system to replace the Trident programme when it comes to the end of its service period; and what consultation will be undertaken in advance of a decision on replacement. | | (151702) | 60
| Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the running costs of the Trident programme have been since it came into service; what the running costs of the Trident programme are in this financial year; and what the total lifetime running costs of the Trident programme are expected to be at the end of its service period. | | (151703) | 61
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the members of the (a) RAF Museum, (b) Royal Marines Museum, (c) Royal Navy Submarine Museum, (d) National Army Museum, (e) Defence Scientific Advisory Council, (f) Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors and (g) Review Board for Government Contracts were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151826) | 62
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the standard of armed forces accommodation in Wales. | | (151740) | 63
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) regiments based in Wales were deployed in Iraq and (b) soldiers from Welsh battalions are stationed in Iraq. | | (151741) | 64
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the average number of days' leave soldiers in Welsh battalions have had in each year since 1997. | | (151742) | 65
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers from Welsh battalions were involved in covering for firefighters during Fire Bridages Union strikes since 1997; and on how many days soldiers from Welsh battalions were involved in covering for firefighters. | | (151743) | 66
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the authorised strength is of each Welsh regiment; and how many vacancies there are in each. | | (151744) | 67
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) tanks, (b) armoured personnel carriers and (c) other equipment used by troops from Welsh battalions stationed in Iraq were fully upgraded for use in desert conditions; and what the cost was of these upgrades. | | (151745) | 68
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total number of days was that members of the armed forces spent training in Wales in each year since 1997. | | (151746) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 69
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (151607) | 70
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the actual grant payable to Cambridgeshire County Council for 2004-05 has increased in comparison with the current budgetary year. | | (151583) | 71
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what definition he uses of (a) raw grant and (b) adjusted grant in spreadsheets published by his Department on http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0405/fandc2/index.htm. | | (151585) | 72
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the Government grant for Cambridgeshire County Council (a) was in 2003-04 and (b) will be in 2004-05. | | (151586) | 73
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to redefine the definition of housing-related support under Supporting People. | | (151772) | 74
| Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the cost of (a) consultation, (b) reports and (c) publications was in relation to the Electoral Commission's recommendations for electoral pilots of whole regions for the municipal and European elections in 2004. | | (151572) | 75
N | Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to introduce a commencement order under the Commonhold and Leasehold Act 2002 to prevent landlords from insisting that their leasehold tenants use a particular insurance company to insure their property. | | (151541) | 76
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many representations he has received from honourable Members concerning health risks of mobile phone masts. | | (151659) | 77
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to revise the code of practice for mobile phone operators concerning the registration of telephone masts. | | (151660) | 78
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many mobile phone masts there are on his Department's official headquarters. | | (151661) | 79
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many phone masts there are in each local authority area in England. | | (151662) | 80
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will introduce a compulsory register for local authorities regarding phone masts. | | (151680) | 81
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, who the members of the (a) Housing Action Trust Liverpool, (b) Audit Commission, (c) Housing Action Trust Stonebridge, (d) Buildings Regulations Advisory Committee and (e) Housing Corporation were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151807) | 82
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, who the members of the (a) Rent Assessment Panel Greater Manchester and Lancashire, (b) Rent Assessment Panel London, (c) Rent Assessment Panel Merseyside and Cheshire, (d) Rent Assessment Panel Northern, (e) Rent Assessment Panel Southern and South Eastern, (f) Rent Assessment Panel Yorkshire, (g) Rent Assessment Panel East Midland, (h) Rent Assessment Panel South Western and (i) Rent Assessment Panel Chilterns, Thames and Eastern were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151809) | 83
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, who the members of the (a) Urban Development Corporation Black Country, (b) Urban Development Corporation London Docklands, (c) Urban Development Corporation Merseyside and (d) Urban Development Corporation Tyne and Wear were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151810) | 84
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, who the members of the (a) Advisory Committee Justices of the Peace in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, (b) Better Regulation Task Force, (c) New Millennium Experience Company and (d) Civil Service Appeals Board were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151821) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 85
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether the formula spending share figure for Cambridgeshire for 2004-05 takes account of the requirement for Cambridgeshire to spend £4.5 million more on schools set out in the direction notice from his Department to Cambridgeshire County Council. | | (151584) | 86
| Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether he enforces the statutory guidance document on Access to education for children and young people with medical needs of November 2001. | | (151853) | 87
| Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he last had reason to intervene in a local education authority's failure to implement the statutory guidance contained within the Access to education for children and young people with medical needs document of November 2001; how many times in each of the last two years he has had to intervene; and what plans he has to update these guidelines. | | (151854) | 88
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will place the audited statutory accounts for Training and Enterprise Council in England for financial year ending 25th March 2001 in the Library; and if he will make a statement. | | (151858) | 89
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on further education colleges of the recent increase in fees set by the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will make a statement. | | (151859) | 90
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many representations he has received on the decision of Essex Local Education Authority to delegate the school meals service to primary schools; and if he will make a statement. | | (151763) | 91
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many local authorities have delegated the school meals service to primary schools; and if he will make a statement. | | (151764) | 92
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received on extending the checking procedures of the Criminal Records Bureau to people engaged in observer roles in classrooms and other school activities. | | (151765) | 93
| Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he will reply to the letter to Mr Simon Rhodes dated 15th July 2003 which was sent by special delivery on 17th July and signed for by his representatives on 18th July (Royal Mail's reference SU 4643 1881 8GB). | | (151577) | 94
| Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he takes to ensure that documents received by Royal Mail special delivery are (a) recorded as such and (b) tracked within his Department. | | (151578) | 95
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who the members of (a) Remploy, (b) the National Advisory Council on Employment of People with Disabilities, (c) the National Disability Council and (d) the Teacher Training Agency were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151822) | 96
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who the members of (a) the Further Education Funding Council, (b) the Further Education Funding Council Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Committee, (c) the Higher Education Funding Council for England, (d) Investors in People UK and (e) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151823) | 97
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who the members of the (a) Centre for Information on Language Teaching, (b) Construction Industry Training Board, (c) Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, (d) Equal Opportunities Commission and (e) Funding Agency for Schools were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151824) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 98
| Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from the Environment Agency regarding the consequences of reducing investment by the water industry in environmental improvement; and if she will make a statement. | | (151770) | 99
N | Mr Tony Banks (West Ham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ban the import of all ivory products; and if she will make a statement. | | (150962) | 100
N | Mr Tony Banks (West Ham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the proposed sale of ivory stockpiles by (a) Namibia, (b) Botswana and (c) South Africa under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. | | (150963) | 101
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the criteria are for interest payments to be made by her Department on outstanding foot and mouth disease claims; and if she will make a statement. | | (151839) | 102
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many outstanding claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts remain to be processed by her Department; and what estimate has been made of the total liability. | | (151840) | 103
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been spent (a) internally and (b) on outside assistance on the disputing and forensic analysis of invoices submitted by Northumberland and Durham Machinery Ring Ltd for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts. | | (151841) | 104
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements have been made by her Department with organisations or persons rewarded by payment of commission, percentage or other means for securing reductions in invoices submitted by contractors for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts. | | (151842) | 105
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many invoices submitted for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts have been paid in full by her Department without negotiation or dispute as to quantum. | | (151843) | 106
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the claims made for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts which have been settled by her Department have been settled within the allocated time period. | | (151844) | 107
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many claims made for foot and mouth disease contracts submitted to her Department have been settled to date. | | (151845) | 108
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts have yet to be settled by her Department. | | (151846) | 109
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts have been submitted to her Department since the outbreak of the disease. | | (151847) | 110
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been spent (a) internally and (b) on outside assistance on the disputing and forensic analysis of invoices submitted by businesses for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts. | | (151848) | 111
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much interest has been paid by her Department on outstanding claims for foot and mouth disease contracts; what estimate has been made of likely outstanding payments; and if she will make a statement. | | (151849) | 112
| Andrew Bennett (Denton & Reddish):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when a national grant scheme will be set up to assist local authorities with their new powers under Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act; and when the details of the scheme will be made available to local authorities. | | (151627) | 113
N | Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria the Government uses to assess the progress of the voluntary initiative on pesticides. | | (150958) | 114
N | Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made with the voluntary initiative on pesticides; and how many hectares of land are now covered by the Crop Protection Management Plan. | | (150959) | 115
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the total amount of Common Agricultural Policy subsidy paid to English farms in 2003, broken down by county; and what the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) average individual payment in each county were. | | (151352) | 116
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Common Agricultural Policy payments were made to farmers in each English county in 2003; and what the total area was that the subsidy related to, broken down by county. | | (151353) | 117
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who the members of the (a) Joint Nature Conservation Committee and (b) Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151803) | 118
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who the members of the (a) Rural Development Commission, (b) Environment Agency, (c) British Waterways Board, (d) Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council and (e) UK Eco-Labelling Board were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151808) | 119
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended, (c) dismissed, (d) prosecuted and (e) convicted for involvement in benefit fraud in each of the last six years; and what the amounts involved were in each of the cases listed. | | (151648) | 120
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what value of payments (a) have been made and (b) remain unpaid from the Rural Payments Agency to Welsh farmers, broken down by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area for each year since the scheme began. | | (151726) | 121
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what value of payments remain unpaid to Welsh contractors employed during and following the foot and mouth disease outbreak. | | (151727) | 122
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what value of compensation payments remain unpaid to Welsh farmers as a result of the foot and mouth disease outbreak, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority area. | | (151728) | 123
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many compensation payments, of what value, have been paid to Welsh farmers as a result of the foot and mouth disease outbreak, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority area. | | (151729) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 124
| Mr James Arbuthnot (North East Hampshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 20th January, Official Report, column 1162W, on Mr Robert Ellis, what the nature was of the representations made and of the response given during the discussion of the case of Mr Robert Ellis that took place between the Minister of State and the Head of the Turkish European Secretariat General in Ankara on 13th January. | | (151768) | 125
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (151567) | 126
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many personnel are serving with the Iraq Survey Group in Iraq; of those how many are British; and if he will make a statement. | | (151668) | 127
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of international compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1373; which countries have not fully complied; and if he will make a statement. | | (151669) | 128
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the states which have (a) signed and (b) ratified the International Convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism; and if he will make a statement. | | (151670) | 129
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the payments in each financial year since 1999-2000 to (a) Uzbekistan, (b) Turkmenistan, (c) Kazakhstan, (d) Kyrgyzstan, (e) Pakistan, (f) Georgia and (g) Azerbaijan; what the purpose was of each payment; and if he will make a statement. | | (151671) | 130
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on Pakistan's adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 1373. | | (151672) | 131
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the military preparations for joining NATO of (a) Bulgaria, (b) Estonia, (c) Latvia, (d) Lithuania, (e) Romania, (f) Slovakia and (g) Slovenia; and if he will make a statement. | | (151673) | 132
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policy considerations dictated the UK's vote against UN General Assembly resolution 58/51, Towards a Nuclear Weapon-Free World; and if he will make a statement. | | (151674) | 133
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK is taking in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 58/36, on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space; and if he will make a statement. | | (151675) | 134
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with EU colleagues about (a) trade policy towards Israel and (b) aid policy towards the Palestinian territories; and if he will make a statement. | | (151676) | 135
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times since 1997 UK officials have raised human rights concerns and the plight of the Palestinians with Israeli officials; and if he will make a statement. | | (151677) | 136
| Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the meetings, their dates and the officials involved at which the issue of human rights abuses in Chechnya were raised by his Government with Russia (a) prior to 11th September 2001, and (b) since 11th September 2001; and if he will make a statement. | | (151678) | 137
| Mr Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on progress towards democracy in Iran. | | (151604) | 138
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action the UK Government is taking in relation to the building of the partition wall by Israel in Palestinian territory; and if he will make a statement. | | (151161) | 139
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had within the last six weeks with the representatives of the (a) US Administration, (b) Russian Government and (c) EU in relation to progress on the Middle East Road Map; and if he will make a statement. | | (151162) | 140
| Mr Andrew Love (Edmonton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action he is taking, with reference to recent reports concerning those responsible, to assist the Burundian authorities to bring to justice the perpetrators of the crime against humanity in which Charlotte Wilson was murdered; and if he will make a statement. | | (151766) | 141
| Mr Andrew Love (Edmonton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Government of Burundi does not offer an amnesty for crimes against humanity committed against British and other nationals during the civil war; and if he will make a statement. | | (151767) | 142
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Latvian Government concerning prospects for a referendum on the proposed European Constitution in Latvia; and if he will make a statement. | | (151708) | 143
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the United Kingdom voted on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 58/40 (L12) in the UN First Committee on 27th October 2003 on the prohibition of the dumping of radioactive waste, and combating the hazards of radioactive wastes used in radiological warfare; and if he will make a statement. | | (151850) | 144
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place a transcript of his interview on the Today Programme on 26th January on Iraq in the Library. | | (151851) | 145
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Special Intelligence Service has interviewed Iraqis who had worked in Saddam Hussein's programmes of weapons of mass destruction-related activities (a) prior to March 2003 and (b) since May 2003. | | (151852) | 146
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the papers of Balwant Singh (ECR/995346/03/S) were sent to London. | | (151579) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 147
| Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has undertaken into the possible effects on the health of the elderly of fluoridating water. | | (151769) | 148
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) budget, (b) turnover and (c) outturn was for the NHS Bank in each of the last three years. | | (151568) | 149
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assumptions his Department has made about the level of take-up of the consultant contract. | | (151569) | 150
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 20th January, Official Report, column 1110-1W, on long-term care, what the evidential basis is for his estimate; and if he will place in the Library the assumptions and analysis from which this estimate was derived. | | (151628) | 151
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications of the targets set by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's community plan for local health economies. | | (151630) | 152
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that primary care trusts serving areas where targets for additional housing have been set under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's community plan will be provided with sufficient (a) revenue and (b) capital funding to meet consequential changes in demand for health services. | | (151635) | 153
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of the centrally funded initiatives and services and special allocations budget for 2003-04 (a) has not been spent and (b) has been transferred into another budget. | | (151686) | 154
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what targets have been set by his Department for increasing the availability of defibrillators in public places; what the (a) baseline and (b) deadline for each target is; where the targets were announced; and if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the targets. | | (151700) | 155
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on progress towards extending breast screening to all women aged 65 to 70 years by 2004. | | (151701) | 156
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to meet budget requirements of each primary care trust serving areas of expanding population in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06. | | (151705) | 157
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths from accidental injury on NHS premises were recorded in each year since 1997. | | (151719) | 158
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of the (a) information management and technology and (b) catering criteria from the 2002 star ratings on the scoring methodology. | | (151720) | 159
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research to establish the number of UK nurse trainees who do not register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and their reasons. | | (151721) | 160
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons no trust lost a star rating following the recalculation of the 2002 star rating on 15/16th July 2002. | | (151722) | 161
| Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the refusal of parents to allow their children to receive the MMR vaccine affects (a) payment to the child's family doctor and (b) the star rating of the general practitioner surgery which the child attends. | | (151570) | 162
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list each NHS trust which maintains planned lists on which people wait for operations but which are excluded from the inpatient and outpatient waiting list returns; what his Department's guidance is about the use of planned waiting lists; and if he will make a statement. | | (150538) | 163
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the (a) mean and (b) median waiting time for (i) inpatient and (ii) first outpatient appointments for each quarter from 1990-91 to Q1 2004; and if he will make a statement. | | (150539) | 164
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are waiting for cataract operations on (a) waiting lists and (b) planned lists in each English health trust for the latest date for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. | | (150540) | 165
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to collect and publish information from NHS trusts on waiting times for diagnostic testing; and if he will make a statement. | | (150541) | 166
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish recent guidance which his Department has given to (a) health authorities and (b) NHS trusts on the recording of waiting times for (i) diagnostic tests and (ii) consultant to consultant referrals; and if he will make a statement. | | (150542) | 167
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the future impact on the NHS of the increase in the proportion of medical students who are female (a) in general practice and (b) in hospital medicine. | | (151698) | 168
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications of the Working Time Directive on the work of general practitioners. | | (151699) | 169
| Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the basis was upon which the calculation of compensation for those that contracted hepatitis C from NHS blood products was made. | | (151856) | 170
| Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recourse families of patients who died of the effects of hepatitis C contracted through NHS blood products will have to compensation. | | (151857) | 171
N | Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will break down the funding targeted at primary care trusts where access to NHS dentists is low, announced on 18th September 2003, by (a) region and (b) primary care trust. | | (151540) | 172
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will visit Rainbows Children's Hospice in Leicestershire. | | (151663) | 173
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has had from honourable Members concerning the funding of Rainbows Children's Hospice. | | (151664) | 174
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money his Department gave to projects that deal with respite care projects for terminally ill children in 2003. | | (151665) | 175
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money Leicestershire West Primary Care Tust gave to projects dealing with children's respite care in 2003. | | (151666) | 176
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many projects he has visited that provide respite care that deal with children who are terminally ill. | | (151667) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 177
| Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list those individuals and organisations (a) to whom (i) his Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sent a copy of the consultations (A) Safety and Justice: the Government's proposals on domestic violence and (B) Funding community groups: a consultation document issued by the Government's Active Community Unit on behalf of the Inter-Departmental Working Group on Resourcing Community Capacity Building, and (b) from whom each received a response in each case. | | (151654) | 178
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 14th January, Official Report, column 762W, on HMYOI Wetherby, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increases in costs per prisoner and cost per prisoner place; and what the (a) cost and (b) increase in cost is per (i) prisoner and (ii) prisoner place. | | (151692) | 179
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many suicides there have been in safe cells in each of the last two years. | | (151687) | 180
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the average costs of a suicide in prison. | | (151688) | 181
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to change the design of safe cell units. | | (151689) | 182
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to upgrade existing prison cells over the next five years. | | (151690) | 183
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultatons his Department has had with suppliers of safe cell units. | | (151691) | 184
| Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the sickness rate for each police force was in the last year for which figures are available. | | (151600) | 185
| Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of police officers in each police force has been given early retirement in each of the last four years. | | (151601) | 186
| Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former police officers are receiving pensions from each police force; and what the annual cost will be in 2003-04. | | (151602) | 187
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his honourable friend the Minister for Immigration will meet the honourable Member for Leicester East to discuss the case referred to in the letter dated 22nd January. | | (151657) | 188
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members of the (a) Advisory Board on Restricted Patients, (b) Commission for Racial Equality, (c) Gaming Board for Great Britain, (d) Health Advisory Committee to the Prison Service and (e) Horserace Betting Levy Board were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151811) | 189
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members of the (a) Horserace Totalisator Board, (b) Service Authorities for the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the National Crime Squad, (c) Parliamentary Boundary Commission for England and (d) Parole Board to the Prison Service
were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151812) | 190
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members of the (a) Police Discipline Appeals Tribunal, (b) Police Complaints Authority; (c) Police Information Technology Organisation, (d) Prisons Board to the Prison Service and (e) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151813) | 191
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the members of the (a) Community Development Foundation, (b) Criminal Justice Consultative Council, (c) Misuse of Drugs Tribunal, (d) Visiting Committee, Immigration Detention Centre, Harmondsworth, (e) Prison Service Board of Visitors and (f) Visiting Committee, Immigration Detention Centre, Tinsley House were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151814) | 192
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in his Department have been (a) investigated, (b) suspended, (c) dismissed, (d) prosecuted and (e) convicted for involvement in benefit fraud in each of the last six years; and what the amounts involved were in each of the cases listed. | | (151649) | 193
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) adult prisoners, (b) young offenders and (c) prison spaces there were in each prison in Wales for each year since 1997. | | (151730) | 194
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) raids, (b) arrests, (c) convictions and (d) drug seizures were carried out under Operation Tarian. | | (151731) | 195
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests, (b) people charged, (c) cautions issued and (d) convictions there were in Wales, broken down by (i) police force, (ii) constituency and (iii) local authority area in each year since 1997. | | (151732) | 196
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) drug rehabilitation centres, (b) people treated in drug rehabilitation centres and (c) drug rehabilitation centre places there were in Wales in each year since 1997. | | (151733) | 197
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) recorded burglaries, (b) recorded thefts from or of a vehicle, (c) recorded violent crimes, (d) recorded crimes involving the use of firearms, (e) recorded drug offences and (f) crimes there were in Wales, broken down by (i) police force, (ii) constituency and (iii) local authority area for each year since 1997. | | (151734) | 198
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers, (b) special constables and (c) community support officers there were in Wales broken down by (i) police force, (ii) constituency and (iii) local authority area for each year since 1997. | | (151735) | 199
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the crime clear-up rate in Wales, broken down by (a) police force, (b) constituency and (c) local authority area for each year since 1997. | | (151736) | 200
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) asylum applicants, (b) failed asylum applicants, (c) successful asylum applicants and (d) settled asylum seekers there are in Wales; and what the estimated number of illegal immigrants is in Wales, broken down by (i) police force, (ii) constituency and (iii) local authority area for each year since 1997. | | (151737) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 201
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on humanitarian aid to Iraq. | | (151683) | 202
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who the members of the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151825) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 203
| Mr John Hume (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment has been made of the (a) size and (b) physical condition of the buildings at St Cecilia's College, Derry, for the purposes of delivering the Northern Ireland curriculum; and what the timescale is for replacement of the school buildings. | | (151573) | 204
| Mr John Hume (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many full-time equivalent coroners practise in the Foyle constituency; what the average coroner to population ratio is in (a) Foyle and (b) Northern Ireland; and what plans he has to increase the number of coroners available in the Foyle constituency. | | (151574) | 205
| Mr John Hume (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will place in the Library a map of the land in the vicinity of Kinnego Park in Derry that is in the possession of the Road Service. | | (151587) | Questions to the Solicitor General 206
| Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Solicitor General, if she will list those individuals and organisations (a) to whom (i) her Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible sent a copy of the consultation Deaths in custody: a review of the role and practices of the Crown Prosecution Service: a consultation paper, and (b) from whom each received a response. | | (151653) | 207
N | Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Solicitor General, how many times since 1997 the Crown Prosecution Service has given advice to law enforcement agencies on whether an investigation into an offence of bribery of a foreign public official would have a realistic prospect of prosecution; and in how many of those instances its advice was that there would not be a realistic prospect of prosecution. | | (151440) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 208
| Mr James Arbuthnot (North East Hampshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what information she collates on the investment levels of small and medium enterprises of other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development states in Asian countries. | | (151805) | 209
N | Mr Tony Banks (West Ham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of imports of mammoth ivory products in each of the last five years. | | (150960) | 210
| Mr Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the provisions relating to statutory sick pay, contained in the Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 apply to agency workers. | | (151838) | 211
| Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many seminars the Government has organised for the UK business community since 1997 on (a) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Convention and Combating Bribery and (b) Part 12 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; on which dates and in which locations; and (i) how many and (ii) which companies attended each seminar. | | (151588) | 212
| Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the Export Credit Guarantee Department's maximum liability was in each financial year since 1998-99 (a) in the passenger aircraft sector, (b) in the renewable energy sector excluding large hydroenergy and energy from waste technologies, (c) in the non-renewable energy sector, (d) for exports to the United States, (e) in the defence aircraft sector and (f) for large hydroenergy exports. | | (151681) | 213
| Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many valid applications have been received for the renewable energy initiative of the Export Credits Guarantee Department; which have been successful; what the (a) company involved, (b) amount allocated, (c) project type and (d) form of renewable energy concerned is for each successful application; and what the maximum liability is. | | (151693) | 214
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the (a) purpose and (b) outcome was of the meeting convened by her Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the honourable Member for Edinburgh South, on 21st January with representatives of North East Somerset, Mowlen plc and Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners Ltd. | | (151804) | 215
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the deadline is for the consultation document on the practice of offshoring which her Department has recently issued. | | (151827) | 216
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she intends to publish the competitiveness survey of UK call centres which her Department has commissioned. | | (151828) | 217
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what surveys between employers and employees were carried out before the legislation on flexible working was implemented; and what comparative surveys have been carried out since the legislation has been implemented. | | (151830) | 218
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the total expenditure limit for (a) BTI, (b) the Office of Fair Trading, (c) OFTEL, (d) OFGEM, (e) Postcomm and (f) the Export Credit Guarantee Department for each year between 1997 and 2007. | | (151831) | 219
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions she has had with the Russian Government on securing a supply of gas to the UK. | | (151707) | 220
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her Answer of 12th January, Official Report, columns 505-06, whether any visits by safeguards inspectors have been made to military nuclear facilities; and what the (a) dates and (b) purposes were of the visits. | | (151867) | 221
N | Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what information she has collated on the number of forecourts in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland which sell bio-diesel. | | (151439) | 222
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which liquidators of BCCI the Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service met on 4th March 2003; and for what reason. | | (151679) | 223
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) rural post offices and (b) urban post offices have closed in Wales in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area. | | (151755) | 224
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the power stations in Wales and their (a) maximum operating capacity and (b) average operating capacity over the last year. | | (151756) | 225
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the security of the power supply in Wales. | | (151771) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 226
| John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of households which will be subjected to (a) a noise level of (i) 63dBa Leq or more and (ii) 69dBa Leq or more and (b) an increase in noise level of 3dBa Leq or more directly as a result of (A) the construction and (B) use of a second runway at Edinburgh airport as outlined in the aviation white paper. | | (151706) | 227
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money was raised in fines from speed cameras in the last year for which records are available in (a) Essex and (b) the West Chelmsford constituency. | | (151354) | 228
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money raised in fines from speed cameras during the last year for which records are available, was spent in (a) Essex and (b) the West Chelmsford constituency. | | (151355) | 229
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many speed cameras (a) there are and (b) there have been in each of the last five years in (i) Essex and (ii) the West Chelmsford constituency. | | (151356) | 230
| Mr Howard Flight (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost is of the software upgrade at Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre to be made by National Air Traffic Services as a result of the near-miss between a Virgin Atlantic and a Delta Airlines aircraft in November 2002. | | (151781) | 231
| Mr Howard Flight (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value is of software that will become redundant at Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre owing to the software upgrade to be carried out as a result of the near-miss between a Virgin Atlantic and a Delta Airlines aircraft in November 2002. | | (151782) | 232
| Mr Howard Flight (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the spending on computer systems at the Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre for each year since 1997. | | (151833) | 233
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who the members of the (a) Civil Aviation Authority, (b) Traffic Area Eastern and (c) Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee were on 1st January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. | | (151806) | 234
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the safety camera partnerships in Wales and the revenue that they have raised for each year since they were created. | | (151747) | 235
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many speed cameras there were in Wales in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) police force, (b) constituency, (c) safety camera partnership and (d) local authority area. | | (151748) | 236
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people (a) were killed, (b) were seriously injured and (c) suffered less severe injuries on roads in Wales, broken down by (i) police force, (ii) constituency, (iii) safety camera partnership and (iv) local authority area, for each year since 1997. | | (151749) | 237
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the figures for (a) reliability, (b) punctuality, (c) the public performance measure, and (d) complaints for each train operator operating services in Wales in the last year for which figures are available. | | (151750) | 238
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the National Assembly for Wales regarding the expansion of the road network in Wales. | | (151751) | 239
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the rail infrastructure improvement schemes and their projected cost (a) being carried out in Wales and (b) planned for Wales. | | (151752) | 240
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on aviation in Wales since the publication of the Aviation White Paper. | | (151753) | 241
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list (a) the volume of freight passing through Welsh ports, (b) the volume of passengers passing through Welsh ports and (c) the number of ships and the average tonnage of ships operating out of Welsh ports for each year since 1997. | | (151754) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales 242
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many visits he has made to (a) prisons, (b) police forces, (c) young offenders' institutions and (d) drug rehabilitation centres in Wales since October 2002. | | (151738) | 243
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will list the visits he has made to armed forces' bases in Wales since October 2002. | | (151739) | Questions to the Minister for Women 244
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Minister for Women, what proportion of senior positions in trade unions are held by women. | | (151685) | 245
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Minister for Women, what estimate she has made of the gender pay gap in terms of (a) hourly earnings and (b) annual wages; and if she will make a statement. | | (151697) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 246
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. | | (151580) | 247
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what definition of the term merger dividend he uses in relation to the setting up of Jobcentre Plus, with particular regard to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight district. | | (151608) | 248
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the factors which underlay decisions to (a) relocate work and (b) close his Department's offices in the South-East Region. | | (151631) | 249
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many permanent staff have left and not been replaced in his Department's offices in (a) Portsmouth, (b) Southampton and (c) the Isle of Wight in each of the last three years. | | (151632) | 250
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what aspects of the work in his Department's offices in (a) Portsmouth, (b) Southampton and (c) the Isle of Wight have been (i) relocated and (ii) centralised in each of the last three years. | | (151633) | 251
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of his Department's offices have been closed in (a) Portsmouth, (b) Southampton and (c) the Isle of Wight in each of the last three years. | | (151634) | 252
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will enable recipients of income support to put aside some of their benefit to save for the purchase of a motability vehicle without their savings affecting their entitlement to income support. | | (151783) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 253
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the rate of unemployment in each (a) region and (b) nation of the United Kingdom was in each month since 1995; and if he will make a statement. | | [Transferred] (151829) | 254
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the average cost of working days lost owing to labour disputes in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each year between 1995 and 2003; and if he will make a statement. | | [Transferred] (151832) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 255
| Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list those individuals and organisations (a) to whom (i) his Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sent a copy of the consultation, Hedge height and light loss and (b) from whom each received a response. | | [Transferred] (151650) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 256
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his Answer of 19th January to the honourable Member for Suffolk, Coastal, Official Report, column 924W, when Israel first tested a nuclear explosive device. | | [Transferred] (151868) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 257
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to include representatives of (a) magistrates' and (b) justices' clerks on criminal justice boards. | | [Transferred] (151775) | 258
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will investigate the greater use of interim orders for anti-social behaviour; and what discussions he has had with the (a) police and (b) Crown Prosecution Service on this issue. | | [Transferred] (151779) | 259
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are tagged for the purpose of a curfew order. | | [Transferred] (151780) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales 260
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the average farm income was in Wales, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority area for each year since 1997. | | [Transferred] (151725) |
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