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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Monday 1 March 2004
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 1 March 2004
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Monday 1 March 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 Monday 1 March of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Monday 1 March see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office 1
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Government's targets for the online delivery of services. | | (158045) | 2
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government services are available online. | | (158046) | 3
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of the buildings for which his Office has responsibility are vacant. | | (158047) | 4
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many appointments to public bodies were of people with party political affiliations in each of the last three years; and what those appointments were. | | (158121) | 5
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps are being taken to introduce a Civil Service Bill in this session of Parliament. | | (158122) | 6
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many special advisers occupy offices maintained at public expense. | | (158123) | 7
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the Ministers who have travelled to Big Conversation meetings in their ministerial cars. | | (158124) | 8
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will reply to the letter to him dated 8th January from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms V Bromage. | | (157906) | 9
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total expenditure on communications for the Office has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158158) | 10
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff are employed in the Office to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158172) | 11
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158196) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 12
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason a liquefied petroleum gas-powered vehicle is classified as a luxury option within the P11D form under the company car tax regime; and if he will make a statement. | | (157754) | 13
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to address the different tax treatment of in house occupational physiotherapy and a contracted service. | | (157853) | 14
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he will monitor compliance with the 2006 full cost recovery commitment for the charitable sector. | | (158028) | 15
N | Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the yield in excise revenue from ready-to-drink products was in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03; and what the estimated yield is for (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05. | | (157602) | 16
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to industry in Scotland of the aggregates levy since its introduction. | | (157858) | 17
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the impact on local authorities in Scotland of the aggregates levy since its introduction. | | (157859) | 18
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what change there has been in imports of aggregates into the UK since the introduction of the aggregates levy. | | (157860) | 19
| Mrs Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people identified themselves as Kashmiri in the latest National Census; how many did so in Rochdale constituency; and how many public sector bodies have requested the identification in the Census of the numbers identifying themselves as Kashmiri. | | (157857) | 20
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people providing unpaid care to people aged 65 and over. | | (158054) | 21
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will break down the projections for total support to families given in the 2003 pre-budget report for (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2004-05 by (i) child benefit, (ii) child tax credit, broken down by (A) family element, (B) child element and (C) disability, (iii) childcare credit, (iv) statutory maternity pay, (v) maternity allowance, (vi) maternity expenses and (vii) other support. | | (158059) | 22
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to his Department of administering (a) childcare credit and (b) child tax credit was (i) in total and (ii) per claimant in the last year for which figures are available.
| | (158078 ) | 23
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individual tax returns have been filed online in each year since the service became available. | | (158041) | 24
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with international finance ministers on the International Finance Facility. | | (158128) | 25
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will break down the latest census results by (a) ethnicity, (b) age, (c) gender and (d) religion for the (i) Chorley constituency and (ii) total population; and if he will make a statement on population growth in Chorley. | | (157974) | 26
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the amount of (a) illegal fuel, (b) beer, (c) wine and spirits, (d) cigarettes and (e) counterfeit goods seized in each of the last three years in (i) the UK, (ii) the North West and (iii) Lancashire. | | (157975) | 27
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department has placed advertisements in Hello magazine. | | (157965) | 28
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost is of the advertising campaign for tax credits. | | (157966) | 29
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost of his Department's advertising in Hello magazine was in each of the last five years. | | (157967) | 30
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost is of each of his Department's advertisements in Hello magazine for tax credits. | | (157968) | 31
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from (a) the Child Poverty Action Group and (b) other charities regarding (i) the administration of the child tax credit and working tax credit since 6th April 2003 and (ii) take-up rates of tax credits. | | (158266) | 32
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with officials from (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and (b) the Inland Revenue regarding take-up ratio of tax credits. | | (158267) | 33
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the administration of the child tax credit and the working tax credit since 6th April 2003. | | (158268) | 34
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with officials from the Inland Revenue regarding the administration of the child tax credit and working tax credit since 6th April 2003. | | (158269) | 35
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158153) | 36
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158179) | 37
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158204) | 38
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158240) | 39
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what annual records are kept on Government department purchases from portfolio contract holders by the Office of Government Commerce; and if he will make a statement. | | (158097) | 40
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what construction and refurbishment HM Treasury is undertaking; at what locations; and what measures are being implemented to ensure that all timber used (a) on the construction sites and (b) in the final project will come from legal and sustainable sources. | | (158105) | 41
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which companies have contracts for furniture provision for HM Treasury; and what measures have been implemented to ensure that when a product contains wood, it can be shown to come from legal and sustainable sources. | | (158107) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 42
N | Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will require the Information Commissioner to bring legal proceedings against individuals or organisations identified as purporting to be acting as a collector in relation to data protection but acting without the authority of the Information Commissioner. | | (157599) | 43
N | Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) individuals and (b) organisations which have fallen victim to bogus collectors in relation to data protection in each of the last three years. | | (157600) | 44
N | Mr Edward Garnier (Harborough):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much has been paid to the Community Law Partnership of Birmingham by the Legal Services Commission and the Legal Aid Board in each of the last five accounting years for which figures are available; how many cases there were; what proportion of the sum in each year was paid to the Community Law Partnership for cases brought by or against (a) travellers or traveller families and (b) local and public authorities, broken down by authority; how many cases there were in each year; and how many of the cases funded in each year resulted in (i) a satisfied order for costs being made in favour of the client represented by the Community Law Partnership and (ii) an irrecoverable financial loss to the Legal Aid Board or the Legal Services Commission. | | (156529) | 45
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many members of judicial offices in Northern Ireland are (a) female and (b) from an ethnic minority. | | (156976) | 46
N | Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans he has to introduce all-postal voting in trial constituencies for the next general election; and if he will make a statement. | | (157304) | 47
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158173) | 48
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department or its predecessors was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158184) | 49
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the total expendiure on communications for his Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158207) | 50
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department or its predecessors paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158254) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 51
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the purchases necessary to receive digital television in different areas of the United Kingdom. | | (157514) | 52
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what efforts her Department is making to ensure that all households that desire it have access to digital television prior to the analogue signal being switched off. | | (157515) | 53
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many television licences have been bought online in each year since the service became available. | | (158043) | 54
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what grants can be made available for the provision of an athletics track in Chorley. | | (157976) | 55
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding and grants are given for theatres in Chorley. | | (157977) | 56
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when freeview digital television services will be available throughout the (a) Benfleet, (b) Hadleigh and (c) Canvey Island areas. | | (158125) | 57
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158161) | 58
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158194) | 59
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total expendiure on communications for her Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158208) | 60
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158251) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 61
| Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been paid to Iraqi families following the death of a member of their family while being held in British military custody. | | (158032) | 62
| Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Iraqi men have died while being held in British military custody in Iraq; what the cause of death was in each case; and if he will make a statement. | | (158033) | 63
| Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been paid to families of Iraqi civilians killed by UK personnel in Iraq. | | (158034) | 64
| Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British military exercises have taken place in Kenya in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) number of troops involved and (b) length of exercise. | | (158035) | 65
| Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what budget his Department has allocated for entertaining troops in Iraq. | | (158223) | 66
N | Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Board of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the air collision of two Sea King helicopters embarked on HMS Ark Royal on 22nd March 2003; what action he proposes to take as a result of the findings of the Board of Inquiry; and if he will make a statement. | | (157073) | 67
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many aircraft were hired to help with heavy lift in each of the last three years; and what types of aircraft were hired. | | (158260) | 68
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Hawk advanced jet trainers have been procured; and when delivery will take place. | | (158261) | 69
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on (a) the future of Gurkha regiments in the British Army and (b) back filling by Gurkhas in other regiments. | | (158262) | 70
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the future role of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. | | (158263) | 71
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role the Ministry of Defence is playing in the 300th anniversary of British rule in Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement. | | (158264) | 72
N | Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has (a) received and (b) made about the Stonehenge Project Land Train route and dispersed visitor centre access scheme; whether the Larkhill Garrison Commander has made representations about the planned route; and if he will make a statement. | | (156724) | 73
| Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25th February, Official Report, columns 403-4W, on Iraq, what surveys of public perceptions of the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces and their equipment have taken place since the start of military action in Iraq; what the (a) title and (b) nature of these surveys were; what the findings of each survey were; where these findings have been published; and if he will make a statement. | | (158270) | 74
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 23rd February to the honourable Member for Taunton, Official Report, columns 11-12W, on Gulf War illness, if he will publish a description of the monitoring tests for depleted uranium to which he refers. | | (158259) | 75
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158164) | 76
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158195) | 77
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total expendiure on communications for his Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158211) | 78
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158250) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 79
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the secondees from outside organisations working in his Department, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers. | | (158049) | 80
| Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to change the regulations whereby co-opted parish councillors are not entitled to the same pay and allowances as elected parish councillors. | | (158110) | 81
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the percentage of affordable housing stock is in the Chorley constituency. | | (158126) | 82
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what targets his Department has set for (a) rented, (b) affordable and (c) part rent-part buy housing in council districts. | | (158127) | 83
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the number of tenants who did not have their deposits returned at the end of their tenancy in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (157309) | 84
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to ensure that tenants receive their deposits back at the end of their tenancy; and if he will make a statement. | | (157310) | 85
| Mrs Barbara Roche (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) sufficient funding is available for small business start-ups in inner city areas and (b) sufficient information about that funding is relayed to local communities.
| | (158083 ) | 86
| Mrs Barbara Roche (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many local authorities now have a procurement champion in place; and how many local authorities have completed a procurement plan to ensure best practice as recommended in the Byatt Report.
| | (158084 ) | 87
| Mrs Barbara Roche (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of public sector procurement as a tool for inner city regeneration; and what plans his Department has to develop the use of public sector procurement in the future. | | (158085) | 88
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many traffic wardens were employed by each local authority area in each of the last three years, broken down by police authority area. | | (158215) | 89
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158154) | 90
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158191) | 91
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158193) | 92
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158241) | 93
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what progress is being made towards establishing the Land Regeneration Trust. | | (155849) | 94
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to publish data on rodent infestations in domestic premises based on the rolling annual English House Condition Survey. | | (158098) | 95
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to publish the results of the 2001 English Home Conditions Survey relating to rodent infestations in domestic properties; and if he will make a statement. | | (158100) | 96
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his Department's guidelines are for the removal of red ash from beneath residential properties; and if he will make a statement. | | (158101) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 97
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the purpose was of the education-related meeting attended by Lord Levy on 21st January; who the other attendees were; and if he will make a statement. | | (157755) | 98
N | Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of bids for specialist school status made by (a) faith schools, (b) non-faith schools, (c) faith schools with a comprehensive intake, (d) non-faith schools with a comprehensive intake, (e) Church of England schools, (f) Roman Catholic schools, (g) grammar schools and (h) Roman Catholic grammar schools have been successful. | | (157751) | 99
N | Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether information collected by the Connexions Service can be matched with the National Pupil Database at pupil level; and whether the two databases can be used to produce information matching the later destinations of young people with their achievements on National Curriculum Tests, secondary school they attended and other pupil characteristics. | | (155569) | 100
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many civil servants in his Department are assisting with the review of family policy; which (a) advisers from outside the Department and (b) other departments are assisting with the review; what body or committee within the Department is co-ordinating the review; when he expects to publish the review; and if he will make a statement.
| | (158076 ) | 101
N | Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the findings of the OECD review of careers guidance policies in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. | | (157508) | 102
N | Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the total budget is for the Connexions service for (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2004-05. | | (157509) | 103
N | Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans his Department has to revise the provision of careers guidance to under-19s; and if he will make a statement. | | (157510) | 104
N | Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received concerning the provision of careers guidance by Connexions personal advisers; and if he will make a statement. | | (157511) | 105
N | Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans he has to reduce the running costs of the Connexions service in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement. | | (157512) | 106
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the age profile of teachers in special schools is; and how many newly qualified teachers were recruited by these schools in the last year for which figures are available. | | (157605) | 107
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of pupils with special educational needs (a) with a statement and (b) without a statement are educated in (i) special schools, (ii) specialist classes or units within mainstream schools and (iii) other classes within mainstream schools. | | (157750) | 108
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many area special educational needs co-ordinators have been created to support non-maintained schools. | | (157836) | 109
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the Government's target for training for each special educational needs co-ordinator is; when this target is scheduled to be met; and what progress has been made in meeting it. | | (157837) | 110
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of registered early years settings have special educational needs co-ordinators. | | (157838) | 111
| Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools have been awarded the Special Educational Needs Quality Mark; and how many have failed to meet the criteria for its award. | | (158089) | 112
| Mr Jimmy Hood (Clydesdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the outcome was of the Education and Youth Council held on 26th February; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. | | (157915) | 113
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) after school clubs and (b) breakfast clubs are run in Chorley schools, broken down by school. | | (157979) | 114
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley receive free school milk from (i) central and (ii) local sources. | | (157980) | 115
| Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people attended (a) university and (b) further education from Cleethorpes constituency in each year since 1995. | | (158116) | 116
| Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which local education authorities have submitted bids for additional transitional funding to assist schools and local education authorities with financial problems. | | (158117) | 117
| Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list (a) new schools, (b) major building projects and (c) major refurbishments to schools in Cleethorpes constituency since 1997. | | (158118) | 118
| Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what criteria has been set down for allocating the transitional relief which has been awarded to local education authorities to help schools with budget difficulties. | | (158120) | 119
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many looked-after children have had special educational needs statements in England in each year since 1994. | | (158066) | 120
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many year 11 looked-after children (a) did not sit any examinations, (b) obtained no qualifications, (c) obtained one GCSE or GNVQ and (d) obtained at least five GCSEs (or equivalent) grades A* to C broken down by local authority, in each year since 1994; and what the equivalent figures were for all children. | | (158067) | 121
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who is responsible for ensuring that fire alarms in schools comply with legislation and regulations. | | (157946) | 122
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158157) | 123
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158160) | 124
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158189) | 125
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158252) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 126
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the secondees from outside organisations presently working in her Department, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment, and indicating which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers. | | (158051) | 127
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the Carbon Trust's budget has been allocated to projects in Scotland in each of the last five years; and what steps her Department takes to assess the effectiveness of work undertaken by the Carbon Trust. | | (158216) | 128
| Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures are being taken to prevent unauthorised off-road motor cycling. | | (158090) | 129
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the legislative changes required to allow local authorities to adopt direct and variable charging schemes for the collection and disposal of household waste.
| | (158231 ) | 130
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the progress made on pilot schemes for direct and variable charging for collection and disposal of household waste.
| | (158232 ) | 131
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many refrigerators were disposed of in each year since 1997 in the United Kingdom; what quantity of ozone depleting substances were on average contained in the coolant and foam from refrigerators being destroyed; and whether these ozone depleting substances are controlled substances within the remit of Article 16 (1) and (2) of Regulation (EC) No 2037/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council. | | (158088) | 132
| Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicle dismantlers registered with the Environmental Agency for a site licence before the 1st February deadline under implementation of the European End of Life Vehicles Directive; and how many vehicle dismantlers she estimates are operating without licences. | | (157982) | 133
| Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the research which (a) has been and (b) will be undertaken to measure the effect of EU procedure responsibility legislation on design of environmental targets in the UK. | | (157983) | 134
| Mr Edward O'Hara (Knowsley South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions were brought by her Department against abattoirs for breaches of (a) fresh meat hygiene regulations and (b) animal welfare regulations in each of the calendar years 2002 and 2003; how many separate charges were contained within these prosecutions; on how many of the charges convictions were secured; how many charges were withdrawn by her Department before they were determined by the courts; and what the total sum of legal costs incurred by her Department in the pursuit of these charges was. | | (158071) | 135
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) biosecurity and (b) other mechanisms are available to farmers to prevent badger damage to forage crops. | | (157856) | 136
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated cash value of damage done to growing maize by badgers was in the last year for which figures are available. | | (157927) | 137
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reports her Department has received of predation by badgers on newly born lambs. | | (157928) | 138
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures can be taken to disinfect badger setts after the clearance of TB-infected inhabitants. | | (157929) | 139
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the mode of action of (a) aluminium phosphide and (b) hydrogen cyanide is in terms of its effects on small mammals when used as a pesticide. | | (157930) | 140
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether specific TB spoligotypes are more prevalent in badgers than they are in (a) bovines and (b) other reservoirs.
| | (157931) | 141
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether instances of the detection of multiple TB spoligotypes in single herds have been reported to her Department.
| | (157932) | 142
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will carry out an assessment to determine whether perturbation in badger populations can be eliminated or substantially reduced by improved badger culling programme design and execution.
| | (157933) | 143
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what new advice she will give to farmers on the (a) design and (b) positioning of cattle feed troughs following discovery that badgers can access troughs previously thought inaccessible.
| | (157934) | 144
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what other gaseous pesticides were (a) investigated and (b) declared inhumane following an investigation by Porton Down on the use of hydrogen cyanide to gas badgers. | | (157935) | 145
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the farm-gate value of cows' milk produced by the dairy herd in England was in the last year for which figures are available. | | (157936) | 146
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the costs of reducing TB in the wildlife reservoir to a level where it is no longer epidemiologically significant. | | (157937) | 147
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her consultation document, Preparing for a new GB strategy on bovine tuberculosis, page 23, figure 3, what the forecast public expenditure for each year from 2004-05 to 2012-13 is, broken down by main cost centres. | | (157938) | 148
| 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 bovine TB control programmes undertaken without the active co-operation of farmers. | | (157939) | 149
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost is of undertaking the National Badger Survey; and from which departmental budget it is financed. | | (157940) | 150
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the reliability of the badger TB ELISA test in determining infection in individual badgers. | | (157941) | 151
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate was of the total number of badgers which would be killed during the full implementation of the Krebs trials. | | (157942) | 152
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made with the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of appropriately skilled staff for carrying out badger culling operations. | | (157943) | 153
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence has been collated on localised effects on ground nesting bird populations of badger predation; and which localities have been affected. | | (157944) | 154
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28th January, Official Report, column 380W on badgers, what numerical value she attributes to the phrase a few kilometres; and whether badgers forage from setts a few kilometres outside Krebs areas into farms within those areas and evade trapping. | | (157947) | 155
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is required to take into account the application of the precautionary principle in assessing the need to make orders under section 29 of the Animal Health Act 1981to reduce the risk to human health of any disease or organism carried in animals. | | (157948) | 156
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of other causes to which the reduction in bovine TB could be attributed in the Thornbury experiment, other than the clearance of badgers. | | (157949) | 157
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors constitute sustainability in the context of a 10 year vision for bovine TB. | | (157950) | 158
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the cumulative savings that her Department will achieve over financial years 2003-04 to 2012-13 by changing the basis on which compensation is paid to farmers for animals slaughtered. | | (157951) | 159
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether increased farm biosecurity in areas of high badger population (a) deprives badgers of a high value food source and (b) increases predation on other wildlife. | | (157952) | 160
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what natural factors restrain growth in badger populations when (a) the size of the population is less than the theoretical carrying capacity of the environment that it occupies and (b) there are opportunities for migration. | | (157953) | 161
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her assessment is of the effect of anti-trial activity on the success rate of badger trapping during the Krebs trials. | | (157954) | 162
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what numerical targets for the reduction in incidence of TB in cattle have been set for the next 10 years. | | (157955) | 163
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many human cases of M. bovis have been linked to occupational exposure to infected cattle in the last 10 years. | | (157956) | 164
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received on the awarding of grants to farmers to upgrade isolation facilities for bought-in cattle to improve TB controls. | | (157957) | 165
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the number of injuries to (a) cattle owners, (b) keepers and (c) stockmen which will be sustained as a result of the enhanced testing programme. | | (157958) | 166
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) existing treatments for TB in (i) cattle and (ii) badgers and (b) the potential for developing new treatments. | | (157959) | 167
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, under what circumstances the Government would withdraw (a) wholly and (b) partly from intervention in the control of bovine TB. | | (157960) | 168
| 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 concerning the payment to farmers of consequential losses arising from the imposition of TB restrictions on their farms. | | (157987) | 169
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to what extent badger groups are distinct entities; whether mixing occurs between social groups; and under what circumstances. | | (157988) | 170
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to what extent and under what circumstances non-resident badgers will visit setts inhabited by social groups to which they do not belong; and whether this represents a significant opportunity for the spread of TB between badger social groups. | | (157989) | 171
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to what extent the requirements for the development of BCG vaccination regimes for badgers have been satisifed. | | (157990) | 172
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her best estimate is of how long it will take to develop a suitable badger vaccine to the point where field trials may be undertaken. | | (157991) | 173
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether an application has been made for European Union funding to assist in the development of badger TB vaccines. | | (157992) | 174
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from the (a) Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and (b) Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the welfare of badgers. | | (157993) | 175
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the current status of the gamma interferon trials being conducted by her Department is; what the total cost so far expended on developing this test is; and what the estimated total cost fully to develop this test to the point where it can be used routinely is. | | (158000) | 176
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the typical cost of obtaining market authorisation for an animal vaccine is; how long the authorisation process takes; whether the typical cost can be used as a basis for estimating the cost of a market authorisation for any animal TB vaccine developed; and whether it is possible to use vaccines without their undergoing the full market authorisation process. | | (158001) | 177
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the regulatory processes which affect the size of wild deer populations are; and whether the Government intervenes in the natural regulatory processes. | | (158002) | 178
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the infective dose range for badgers in respect of M. bovis is in terms of the different portants of entry. | | (158003) | 179
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether bovine TB is a natural feature of the ecosystem inhabited by badgers.
| | (158004) | 180
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information she has on the variables which affect the carrying capacity of a habitat in respect of its ability to support a particular wildlife species.
| | (158005) | 181
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of disease in humans have been attributed to TB infection in cats.
| | (158006) | 182
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats infected with bovine TB have been reported to her Department in each of the last five years.
| | (158007) | 183
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether cattle exhibit the same level of discrimination in respect of choice of food contaminated by badger faeces when feeding from cattle troughs as when grazing on grassland.
| | (158008) | 184
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department carries out routine monitoring of feral cats to ascertain the incidence of TB in this population.
| | (158009) | 185
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated population was of (a) voles and (b) hedgehogs in Great Britain in 1990; and what the current estimate of the population is.
| | (158010) | 186
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated population was of (a) corncrakes, (b) woodlarks, (c) nightjars, (d) skylarks, (e) curlews, (f) snipe, (g) redshanks and (h) yellowhammers in Great Britain in 1990; and what the current estimate of the population is.
| | (158011) | 187
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the requirement for public support for wildlife management schemes in order to reduce the incidence of TB in cattle; and what measures she has considered in order to gain such support.
| | (158012) | 188
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at what level TB in badgers creates a significant risk to public health through (a) direct and (b) indirect transmission. | | (158014) | 189
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers of entry wildlife officers have in order to gain access to badger setts for the purpose of trapping and destroying badgers. | | (158015) | 190
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in how many of the Krebs proactive and reactive trial areas there were areas of land within the trial areas, or abutting on them, where wildlife officers were refused entry for the purpose of trapping or destroying badgers. | | (158016) | 191
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for how many years a breeding badger sow can excrete M. bovis bacilli; how many progeny a sow on average produces each year; and how many infected progeny a single female can produce in its lifetime. | | (158017) | 192
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the optimum area in which badger control measures should be taken relative to a TB infected farm. | | (158018) | 193
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the most significant causes of mortality in the badger population in the UK are. | | (158019) | 194
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether TB in badgers is a significant population regulatory factor. | | (158020) | 195
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the prevalence of TB in cattle is higher on organic holdings than on those where cattle are housed intensively. | | (158021) | 196
| 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 silage by badgers and used for the feeding of cattle is considered to present a significant risk of infection to cattle. | | (158022) | 197
| Mr Owen Paterson (North Shropshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information she has collated on the effect of predator control on the sustainability of ground nesting bird populations. | | (158023) | 198
| 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 badgers, whether gassing of badger setts is permitted in the Republic of Ireland. | | (158086) | 199
| 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 523W, on badgers, what the scientific basis is of her view of the national impact of badgers on bird populations. | | (158212) | 200
| 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 219W, on bovine TB, whether provision has been made for the changing values of individual cattle according to (a) market circumstances and (b) the status of animals; and whether farmers will be allowed constantly to update the values registered with her Department. | | (158258) | 201
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with groups representing users of mechanically propelled vehicles in connection with plans to restrict their use of minor highways and byways; and if she will make a statement. | | (157306) | 202
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has had from groups representing users of mechanically propelled vehicles regarding their use of minor highways and byways; and if she will make a statement. | | (157307) | 203
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on plans to restrict the use of byways and minor highways by mechanically propelled vehicles. | | (157308) | 204
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158169) | 205
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158187) | 206
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158201) | 207
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158247) | 208
N | Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications of the recently reported deaths of 12 cattle in Hesse, Germany, in a dairy herd fed on GM fodder maize. | | (157753) | 209
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation has been undertaken by her Department and the Export Credit Guarantee Department on the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project in relation to its potential impacts upon the Western Gray Whale.
| | (158234 ) | 210
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what new analysis her Department has conducted on the impact of the proposed national emission reduction plan for implementation of the large combustion plants directive on the indigenous coal production industry; and if she will make a statement. | | (155895) | 211
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the indigenous coal production industry on the implementation of the large combustion plants directive. | | (155896) | 212
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how trading of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides within the national emission reduction plan proposed by her Department for implementation of the Large Combustion Plants Directive would operate, with particular reference to the Commission's decision that trading of pollutant emissions will only be allowed where emissions fall below best available techniques. | | (155897) | 213
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what construction and refurbishment her Department is undertaking; at what locations; and what measures are being implemented to ensure that all timber used (a) on the construction sites and (b) in the final projects will come from legal and sustainable sources. | | (158102) | 214
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which companies have contracts for furniture provision for her Department; and what measures have been implemented to ensure that when a product contains wood, it can be shown to come from legal and sustainable sources. | | (158103) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 215
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on recent negotiations between the United Kingdom and Argentina concerning flights to and from the Falkland Islands, with particular reference to the number of flights per week that will be permitted; which airline will operate the service; and what was discussed concerning the issue of sovereignty of the islands. | | (156864) | 216
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what percentage by weight of current beef supply contracts for his Department and its agencies are sourced from (a) British and (b) Scottish herds. | | (157861) | 217
N | Mr Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether staff at GCHQ complied with a request from the US National Security Agency to assist with a surveillance operation on members of the UN Security Council in January 2003. | | (157402) | 218
N | Mr Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a memorandum was sent to GCHQ by the US National Security Agency asking for assistance in the surveillance of UN Security Council delegations. | | (157403) | 219
N | Mr Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) written and (b) oral assurances were given to staff at GCHQ that action to assist with surveillance of UN Security Council delegations would be legal. | | (157404) | 220
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action he is taking to find an independent mediator, acceptable to both sides, to bring an end to the conflict in Darfur. | | (158093) | 221
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contribution the UK will make to ensure that the peace agreement in Darfur is maintained. | | (158094) | 222
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when a visit by a Minister in his Department to Hong Kong will next take place; and what talks have taken place with China on a ministerial visit to Hong Kong. | | (157985) | 223
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will next visit Gibraltar; and how he will celebrate the 300th anniversary of British rule in Gibraltar. | | (157986) | 224
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will reply to the letter to him dated 26th January from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Mosammat Meherun Nessa Begum. | | (157907) | 225
N | Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 23rd February, Official Report, column 92W, on the Somali National Reconciliation Conference, if he will list by name the attendees at the Somali National Reconciliation Conference at the Safari Park Hotel outside Nairobi; and whose attendance was supported by the British Government. | | (157606) | 226
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on progress with the Kofi Annan plan for Cyprus. | | (157903) | 227
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether members of the secret intelligence services were in New York in February 2003. | | (158112) | 228
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has received from the governments of (a) Angola, (b) Cameroon, (c) Chile, (d) Guinea, (e) Mexico and (f) Pakistan in respect of allegations made by Katharine Gun that the diplomatic missions of these states in New York were electronically bugged by British and United States security services. | | (158113) | 229
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what new information has been (a) made available by the Iranian authorities and (b) discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in respect of Iran's nuclear programme since the trilateral agreement with Iran, France and Germany, concluded in 2003. | | (158237) | 230
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158171) | 231
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158188) | 232
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158203) | 233
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158239) | 234
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what formal consultation has been undertaken by his Department on the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project. | | (158272) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 235
N | Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for extending the National School Fruit Scheme to all regions in England. | | (157603) | 236
N | Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will extend the National School Fruit Scheme to the South West Region. | | (157604) | 237
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary care; and if he will make a statement. | | (155109) | 238
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he will take following the recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to ensure that all patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have access to a multidisciplinary healthcare team. | | (155110) | 239
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether, following the recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, he will make it a priority for all hospitals and general practitioner surgeries to have access to non-invasive ventilation for the treatment of people with severe
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | | (155111) | 240
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether, following the recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, he will make it a priority for all hospitals and general practitioner surgeries to have access to (a) a spirometer and (b) adequate training in the use of spirometry. | | (155112) | 241
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if, following the recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, he will provide funding for pulmonary rehabilitation courses to run in every hospital for all patients who consider themselves functionally disabled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. | | (155113) | 242
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to (a) scope, (b) commission and (c) disseminate research into the early detection of diabetes. | | (158029) | 243
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the capacity of NHS organisations to implement the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations on patient education. | | (158030) | 244
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 23rd February, Official Report, column 273W, on delayed discharges, what information on legal liabilities for reimbursement charges will be available in the future. | | (158214) | 245
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on advertising of the dangers of (a) smoking, (b) poor diet and (c) alcohol in each year sine 1997. | | (158219) | 246
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason the publication date of the report on NHS hospital and community health services non-medical workforce census, England: 30th September 2003 - detailed results as stated on his Department's website was put back from 26th February to 19th March. | | (158220) | 247
N | Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which health body has the authority to remove a caution registered against residential property in respect of Bedfordshire Health Authority's interest in relation to a loan required to complete the original purchase of that property. | | (157601) | 248
N | John Cryer (Hornchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library copies of responses to the consultation on proposals to reform and modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992 in relation to the proposed exemption of large shopping developments from the control of entry requirements for retail pharmacy services. | | (157513) | 249
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what target he has set for intensive home care as a percentage of intensive home and residential care. | | (158053) | 250
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many bed sides of double-bar design with more than 120mm between the rails he estimates are in use in (a) the NHS and (b) residential and nursing homes; and if he will make a statement. | | (158055) | 251
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency will ensure that bed rails with more than 120mm between the rails will no longer be used in the NHS and in care homes; and if he will make a statement. | | (158056) | 252
| Mr Roger Godsiff (Birmingham, Sparkbrook & Small Heath):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he has collated on how many black and ethnic minority nurses in the NHS are paid less than their white counterparts. | | (158108) | 253
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what sums the NHS has paid to private health providers in each year since 2003; and how much has been paid this year.
| | (158082 ) | 254
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals (a) charge and (b) do not charge (i) staff, (ii) visitors and (iii) patients to park. | | (157908) | 255
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will increase financial assistance from the NHS to children's hospices in England. | | (157909) | 256
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the savings to the NHS from (a) adults and (b) children using hospice services instead of hospital services. | | (157910) | 257
| Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS dentists there are in the Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency. | | (157911) | 258
| Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average distance people living in the Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency need to travel to access an NHS dentist. | | (157912) | 259
| Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in the recruitment of NHS dentists in Blackpool North and Fleetwood. | | (157913) | 260
| Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for the proposed Droitwich Spa one-stop shop of his decision to change the funding arrangements for the project. | | (157961) | 261
| Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons he imposed a retrospective cut-off date for approvals for local capital projects proposed by primary care trusts. | | (157962) | 262
| Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from primary care trusts in the West Midlands about the new funding arrangements for capital projects. | | (157963) | 263
| Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many primary care trusts have informed his Department of the possible cancellation of local capital projects as a result of (a) the decision to change the method of funding allocations and (b) the imposition of a retrospective cut-off date. | | (157964) | 264
| Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the future of Alice House in North East Lincolnshire. | | (158119) | 265
| Mr Archie Norman (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 12th February, Official Report, column 1699W, and 23rd February, Official Report, column 297W, on the restructuring and change programme, how many of the 1400 staff will be redeployed or transferred to departmental arm's length bodies or agencies. | | (158205) | 266
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patient visits to general practitioners he estimates there were in the last 12 months for which figures are available. | | (158213) | 267
| Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the NHS of general practitioner services in the last recorded year. | | (158265) | 268
| Sandra Osborne (Ayr):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are being taken to promote guidance on, and the benefits of, breast feeding to new mothers in the hospital setting. | | (157998) | 269
| Sandra Osborne (Ayr):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are being taken to tighten the implementation of the World Health Organisation code in the United Kingdom to prohibit aggressive infant formula marketing strategies. | | (157999) | 270
| Sandra Osborne (Ayr):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research the Department has conducted on a potential link between decreasing breast feeding rates and increasing obesity rates among children. | | (158027) | 271
N | Mrs Marion Roe (Broxbourne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines are in place to ensure that non-cancer related lymphoedema patients receive appropriate compression garments as part of their treatment for the condition. | | (156533) | 272
| Phil Sawford (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action he has taken to implement the 2001 Sexual Health Strategy. | | (157917) | 273
| Phil Sawford (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of sexually transmitted diseases were treated by the NHS in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. | | (158091) | 274
| Phil Sawford (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the average cost of complying with statutory requirements for each individial care worker in respect of (a) criminal records checks, (b) NVQ training, (c) health and safety training, (d) manual handling training, (e) food hygiene training, (f) first aid training and (g) other statutory requirements. | | (158236) | 275
| Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the future of the proposed new health centres in (a) Upton-on-Severn and (b) Malvern. | | (157854) | 276
| Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement about the financial position of the (a) South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust and (b) Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. | | (157855) | 277
| Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the future of controls on private finance initiative revenue streams as they affect investments by South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust. | | (157970) | 278
| Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the future of Pershore Community Hospital following South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust's announcement that the building of several health centres in Worcestershire is to be put on hold. | | (157971) | 279
| Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the future of Malvern Community Hospital. | | (157972) | 280
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158166) | 281
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158176) | 282
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158198) | 283
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158244) | 284
| Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list those medical conditions whose sufferers qualify for free prescriptions; and what the cost to the NHS was in 2003-04 in respect of each condition. | | (158256) | 285
| Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the medical conditions about which representations have been made to his Department in the last three years proposing the granting of free drug prescriptions to sufferers of those conditions; and what his estimate is of the cost of free prescriptions in respect of each of these conditions. | | (158257) | 286
| Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average income is of (a) NHS and (b) private sector dentists. | | (158180) | 287
| Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies there are for NHS (a) general practitioners and (b) dentists in each primary care trust. | | (158181) | 288
| Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action the Government is taking to increase the number of NHS dentists. | | (158182) | 289
| Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how long he expects it to take fully to implement the new funding system for primary care trusts. | | (158183) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 290
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings of the Justice and Home Affairs Council he has attended since being appointed Secretary of State for the Home Department. | | (156487) | 291
N | Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish his latest action plan following the recommendations contained in the Social Exclusion Unit report on Reducing Re-offending by Ex-prisoners. | | (157507) | 292
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the Government's strategy to (a) prevent child trafficking and (b) provide protection and support to the victims of child trafficking.
| | (158227 ) | 293
| Mr Roger Godsiff (Birmingham, Sparkbrook & Small Heath):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of self-harm were recorded for female prisoners for the last three years for which complete data is available. | | (158061) | 294
| Mr Roger Godsiff (Birmingham, Sparkbrook & Small Heath):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners do not have access to lavatory facilities and rely on slopping out. | | (158109) | 295
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had in the last 12 months with the (a) Secretary of State for Defence, (b) Department for Constitutional Affairs, (c) Prime Minister and (d) Attorney General over the Katherine Gun case. | | (158096) | 296
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many minor crimes have been reported online in each year since the service became available. | | (158042) | 297
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications have been made online in each year since the service became available. | | (158044) | 298
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received about the advice given in PPG8: Telecommunications, that where proposals to locate telecommunications masts meet with the standards of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection, it should not be necessary for a local planning authority to consider further health effects of the proposal. | | (158274) | 299
| Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the monetary grant made available to all prisoners on release from custodial sentence is greater if a prisoner states no fixed abode as their address. | | (157994) | 300
| Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of whether the monetary grant made available for prisoners on release from custodial sentence offering no fixed abode as an address acts as an incentive to give no fixed abode as their address; and whether paedophiles giving no fixed abode on release avoid immediate listing on the Register of Sex Offenders. | | (157995) | 301
| Mr Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Hall Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners were released from custodial sentence in the (a) most recent year for which figures are available, (b) previous three years and (c) previous five years; how many prisoners gave no fixed abode (NFA) as their address on release from custodial sentence; how many paedophiles were released from custodial sentence within these periods; and how many paedophiles gave NFA as their address within these periods on release from custodial sentence. | | (158064) | 302
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many looked-after children aged 10 or over were cautioned or convicted for an offence in each year since 1994; and what the figures were for all children. | | (158068) | 303
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many traffic wardens were operating in police authority areas in each of the last 15 years, listed in descending order according to the biggest disparity between the first and last year. | | (158072) | 304
N | Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether legislation to prevent football supporters from leaving the UK to attend matches abroad applies to (a) players and (b) officials. | | (157608) | 305
N | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when transport will be provided to convey Robert Dymond from HMP Altcourse to HMP Guys Marsh; and if he will make a statement. | | (157401) | 306
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158170) | 307
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158178) | 308
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158202) | 309
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158238) | 310
| Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to publicise (a) the need, under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 for existing owners of air weapons and imitation firearms to apply for a firearm certificate before 30th April and (b) the implications of not doing so. | | (157996) | 311
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the areas in which the security industry regulations will be rolled out, broken down by date; how many persons are employed as doorkeepers in each area; how many places on courses designed to provide qualifications for registration there are; how many of these currently employed have already qualified for registration; and what contingency arrangements are in place to meet shortfalls in supply of registered doorkeepers. | | (157835) | 312
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what licences have been issued since 1997 for carrying out research involving the observation of captured wild rats in a model sewer system. | | (158099) | 313
| Miss Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone & The Weald):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects to reply to the letters of 31st July 2003 and 24th November 2003 from the honourable Member for Maidstone and the Weald about Mrs Rosa Wiles. | | (157997) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 314
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much is being spent on the refurbishment of the office space of (a) CDC and (b) Actis; and how much is being spent on office space used by the chief executive of each. | | (157841) | 315
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the cost of corporate entertaining by CDC was for the last seven years; and what the budget for corporate entertainment by (a) CDC and (b) Actis is for the next three years. | | (157842) | 316
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the projected new investment in sub-saharan Africa by CDC and Actis is in the next three years. | | (157843) | 317
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the (a) salary and (b) bonus and options payments of the 12 highest paid employees of (a) CDC and (b) Actis will be in 2004. | | (157844) | 318
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the (a) length and (b) terms of the contracts of the directors of Actis are. | | (157845) | 319
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158156) | 320
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158186) | 321
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158192) | 322
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department or its predecessors paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158255) | 323
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what construction and refurbishment his Department is undertaking; at what locations; and what measures are being implemented to ensure that all timber used (a) on the construction sites and (b) in the final projects will come from legal and sustainable sources. | | (158104) | 324
| Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which companies have contracts for furniture provision for his Department; and what measures have been implemented to ensure that when a product contains wood, it can be shown to come from legal and sustainable sources. | | (158106) | Questions to the Leader of the House 325
| Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy):To ask the Leader of the House, what recent changes there have been in the use of the Welsh language in the conduct of public business by the House; and if he will make a statement. | | (158026) | 326
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Leader of the House, how many staff are employed in the Office to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158159) | 327
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Leader of the House, what the total expendiure on communications for his Office has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158206) | 328
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Leader of the House, how many staff his Office employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Office paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158253) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 329
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what types of crime were directly related to the activities of Unionist paramilitary groups in the last 12 months for which records are available. | | (158092) | 330
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1996, broken down by (a) grade and (b) department. | | (156975) | 331
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants in Northern Ireland have resigned from the Civil Service as a result of the ongoing pay dispute; what recent steps he has taken to resolve the dispute; and if he will make a statement. | | (156977) | 332
N | Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost of the vehicle testing service in Northern Ireland was in the last year for which figures are available; and how much of the cost was offset by the receipt of fees. | | (156530) | 333
N | Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average waiting time for an appointment for a vehicle test in Northern Ireland was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. | | (156531) | 334
N | Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will privatise vehicle testing in Northern Ireland in line with the practice elsewhere in the United Kingdom. | | (156532) | 335
N | The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what criteria were used to decide whether to (a) purchase and (b) dispose of Northern Ireland Electricity lands at Camlough, Co. Armagh in relation to the aborted pump storage of electricity generation project. | | (157318) | 336
N | The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the effect of the formula for funding local management of schools on primary schools' ability to fund full teaching costs. | | (157319) | 337
N | The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much emphasis in targeting social need is given to integrating ethnic and religious groups. | | (157320) | 338
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158165) | 339
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158185) | 340
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158197) | 341
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158243) | Questions to the Prime Minister 342
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list the secondees from outside organisations working at 10 Downing Street, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers. | | (158050) | 343
| Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Prime Minister, whether British officials have visited Saddam Hussein since his capture by the United States authorities. | | (158031) | 344
N | Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask the Prime Minister, what action has been taken by the UK Government to monitor the activities of Abdul Qadeer Khan since he was a research student with access to URENCO, with particular reference to the matters raised in the debate of 18th December 1979, Official Report, column 554 ff. | | (154969) | 345
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had in the last 12 months with the (a) Department for Constitutional Affairs and (b) Attorney General on the Katharine Gun case. | | (158095) | 346
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the future of People's Peers. | | (157978) | 347
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Prime Minister, how many staff are employed in his Office to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158155) | 348
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Prime Minister, what the total expenditure on communications for the Office has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158190) | 349
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Prime Minister, how many staff his Office employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much his Office paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158242) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland 350
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158167) | 351
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158199) | 352
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158245) | Questions to the Solicitor General 353
| Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Solicitor General, for what reasons it is Government policy never to make public legal advice prepared by the Attorney General for Ministers. | | (158111) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 354
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the secondees from outside organisations working in her Department, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers. | | (158052) | 355
N | Andy Burnham (Leigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many claims for (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) vibration white finger have been received to date under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme from the (a) Leigh, (b) Makerfield and (c) Wigan constituencies; and how many have received (i) full and final settlement and (ii) an interim award only. | | (156727) | 356
N | Andy Burnham (Leigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cumulative total paid out under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme to former miners and their families in the (a) Leigh, (b) Makerfield and (c) Wigan constituencies was in each of the last five years. | | (156728) | 357
| Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the visits she has made to firms employing fewer than 50 workers since 1st January 2003. | | (157862) | 358
| Mr Roger Godsiff (Birmingham, Sparkbrook & Small Heath):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many export licences have been granted for the delivery of gas centrifuges or parts thereof over the last five years; and in respect of which countries. | | (158063) | 359
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the level of business output in (a) the North West and (b) Lancashire was in the last year for which figures were available. | | (157914) | 360
N | Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people in each London borough are earning the minimum wage. | | (156678) | 361
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) non-domestic and (b) domestic refrigerators were bought in each year since 1997. | | (158087) | 362
| Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what measures will be put in place to inform the public about the disposal of end of life vehicles in relation to the End of Life Vehicles Directive; and if she will make a statement. | | (157981) | 363
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the current price levels for electricity supplied to domestic customers are, broken down by supplier; and what the average electricity bill was for each region in the last year for which figures are available. | | (157901) | 364
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent representations she has received from the CBI on the proposed EU Directive on Takeovers. | | (157902) | 365
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158162) | 366
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158174) | 367
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total expendiure on communications for her Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158209) | 368
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158248) | 369
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what account she will take of the potential impact on (a) saffron cod and (b) herring populations when assessing the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project under consideration for support by the Export Credits and Guarantee Department. | | (157904) | 370
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what account she will take of the potential impact of building onshore pipelines through salmon spawning streams when assessing the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project under consideration for support by the Export Credits Guarantee Department. | | (157905) | 371
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions have been undertaken with other Departments on the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project which the Export Credit Guarantee Department is considering. | | (158073) | 372
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project under consideration for support by the Export Credit Guarantee Department will involve construction of an undersea pipeline through the feeding ground of the western grey whale. | | (158074) | 373
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when a decision on whether to support the Sakhalin II phase 2 will be taken by the Export Credit and Guarantee Department.
| | (158075 ) | 374
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what account she intends to take of the risk and potential impact of earthquake damage to the on- and off-shore oil and gas pipelines on Sakhalin Island when she assesses the Sakhalin II phase 2 project for support by the Export Credit Guarantee Department.
| | (158081 ) | 375
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project under consideration for support by the Export Credit Guarantee Department will involve the dumping of waste into the Gulf of Aniva. | | (158271) | 376
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what formal consultation has been undertaken by the Export Credit Guarantee Department on the Sakhalin II phase 2 oil and gas project. | | (158273) | 377
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what new analysis her Department has conducted as to the impact of the proposed national emission reduction plan for implementation of the Large Combustion Plants Directive on indigenous coal production industry. | | (155898) | 378
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions her Department has had with the indigenous coal production industry on the implementation of the Large Combustion Plants Directive. | | (155899) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 379
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the secondees from outside organisations working in his Department, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting Parliamentary Answers. | | (158048) | 380
| Mr Roger Godsiff (Birmingham, Sparkbrook & Small Heath):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how his Department defines overcrowding in respect of rail travel. | | (158062) | 381
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library the latest accounts of each safety camera partnership. | | (158217) | 382
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the future of the Road Haulage Forum. | | (158222) | 383
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the draft regulations implementing the Road Transport Directive. | | (158225) | 384
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what procedures he plans to introduce to facilitate enforcement of the Road Transport Directive in respect of drivers of foreign registered vehicles operating in the United Kingdom.
| | (158226 ) | 385
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what monitoring systems exist to ensure that funds allocated to local authorities for road improvement and maintenance schemes are not used for other purposes.
| | (158233 ) | 386
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Government has spent to date on the spending commitments set out in the Ten Year Plan on (a) roads, broken down by (i) strategic, (ii) local and (iii) London (b) railways, (c) London Underground and (d) all other transport; and if he will make a statement.
| | (158235 ) | 387
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving theory tests have been booked online in each year since the service became available. | | (158040) | 388
N | Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what rules apply to passengers transporting guns on air journeys (a) departing from, (b) arriving at and (c) passing through British airports. | | (157607) | 389
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Department spent on the promotion of cycle helmets in each of the last five years; and what assessment has been made of the cost-benefit achieved in terms of injuries prevented from (a) helmets and (b) other methods of reducing risk to cyclists. | | (158024) | 390
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what monitoring methods are used to assess the effectiveness of cycle helmets in reducing the (a) number and (b) severity of head injuries; and whether these methods would detect changes in the number and severity of head injuries arising from increased use of cycle helmets. | | (158025) | 391
| Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on the Transport Action Clean-Up programme in each financial year since 2001-02; and what the budget is for 2004-05. | | (157916) | 392
| Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken to relieve overcrowding on services operated by (a) South Central and (b) Thameslink. | | (157863) | 393
N | Jonathan Shaw (Chatham & Aylesford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what investigations were carried out by the Government's representative to ensure compliance with the undertakings made to Parliament during the passage of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996 for the planning and construction of the North Downs Tunnel; and if he will place in the Library copies of the relevant reports. | | (157305) | 394
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158168) | 395
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158177) | 396
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers. (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158200) | 397
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158246) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 398
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers on the New Deal scheme there have been in each year since 1998. | | (158224) | 399
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers on the New Deal programme have been placed on an environmental task force in each year since 1998.
| | (158228 ) | 400
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the projects that have been undertaken by New Deal environmental task forces.
| | (158229 ) | 401
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding has been provided to New Deal task forces in each year since 1998.
| | (158230 ) | 402
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families are eligible to receive maternity allowance. | | (158057) | 403
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of landlords in pathfinder areas who have stopped taking on housing benefit tenants.
| | (158079 ) | 404
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to his Department of administering maternity allowance was (a) in total and (b) per claimant in the last year for which figures are available.
| | (158080 ) | 405
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) found employment and (b) enrolled on training courses through the Worktrain scheme online in each year since the service became available. | | (158013) | 406
N | Mr Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port & Neston):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the pension funds that have been wound-up leaving inadequate resources to cover pension liabilities since Royal Assent to the Pensions Act 1996. | | (157839) | 407
N | Mr Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port & Neston):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which pension fund for which he has records was the first to go into wind-up with inadequate funds to meet its liabilities. | | (157840) | 408
| Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many payments of maintenance to parents with care have been delayed in the last six months because of the failure of the system in the issuing of maintenance payments; and if he will make a statement. | | (157984) | 409
| Mr Frank Roy (Motherwell & Wishaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the (a) total amount of money lost by pension holders in company schemes where that pension scheme has wound up after the failure of the company and (b) the number of people who have lost pension provision in such circumstances. | | (158152) | 410
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158163) | 411
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. | | (158175) | 412
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total expendiure on communications for his Department has been in 2003-04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others. | | (158210) | 413
| Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff the Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; what percentage this is of total staff employed; and how much the Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04 to the most recent date for which figures are available. | | (158249) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 414
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families are eligible to receive child benefit. | | [Transferred] (158058) | 415
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to his Department of administering child benefit was (a) in total and (b) per claimant in the last year for which figures are available.
| | [Transferred] (158077 ) | 416
| Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the (a) the proposed date for implementation of the Lorry Road User Charge and (b) its tax implications for the UK haulage industry. | | [Transferred] (158221) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 417
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many looked-after children there have been in England in each year since 1994; and what proportion of children have been continuously looked after for at least 12 months. | | [Transferred] (158065) | 418
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many looked-after children had (a) a yearly dental health check and (b) up-to-date child immunisations, broken down by local authority in each year since 1994; and what the figures were for all children. | | [Transferred] (158069) | 419
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of looked-after children received an annual health assessment in each year since 1994. | | [Transferred] (158070) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 420
| Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the national security implications of climate change. | | [Transferred] (157945) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 421
N | Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what ruminant feeding trials have been conducted with T25 genetically modified fodder maize; whether such trials have been (a) published and (b) peer reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the implications of such trials for the commercialisation of T25 maize. | | [Transferred] (157752) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 422
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to withdraw charitable status from groups that are raising money in the UK and channelling it to extremist and terrorist groups in India. | | [Transferred] (158060) | 423
| Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of provision for (a) the processing of asylum applications and (b) the housing of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland. | | [Transferred] (157969) | 424
| Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 25th February to the honourable Member for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Official Report, column 277, with which countries the Government is in negotiations, other than Tanzania, on how to process claims for asylum nearer to the country of origin. | | [Transferred] (158114) | 425
| Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25th February, to the honourable Member for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Official Report, column 277, whether such claims would be for recognition of refugee status in (a) Tanzania and (b) the UK. | | [Transferred] (158115) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 426
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what extra revenue has accrued for each year since 1997; and what he estimates the projected extra revenue will be for the next 10 years, as a result of freezing the threshold of vehicle excise duty exemption for classic cars at the year 1973, compared with the rolling 25-year exemption previously in operation. | | [Transferred] (158218) |
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