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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Wednesday 10 March 2004
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Wednesday 10 March 2004
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Wednesday 10 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 Wednesday 10 March of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Wednesday 10 March see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Advocate General 1
| Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask the Advocate General, what European Convention on Human Rights issues she has scrutinised in the past month. | | (160370) | Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office 2
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 12th February, Official Report, column 1569W, on Government cars, if he will list each occasion when Government whips have, since 1st January 2003, made use of a car from the Government car service pool, giving in each case the (a) date of use and (b) name of the whip. | | (160688) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 3
| Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the honourable Member for West Chelmsford will receive a reply to his letter of 21st November 2003, PO Ref: 4/17287/2003. | | (160369) | 4
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in Crosby have received child tax credit. | | (160442) | 5
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses in Crosby have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment. | | (160443) | 6
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of unemployment was in each year since 1997 in Crosby. | | (160531) | 7
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) change and (b) percentage change was in full-time permanent jobs in Crosby from 1997 to 31st December 2003. | | (160532) | 8
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new jobs have been created in Crosby since 1997. | | (160533) | 9
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were employed in tourism-related jobs in Crosby on the latest date for which figures are available. | | (160565) | 10
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many senior citizens in Crosby qualified for the 10 pence rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. | | (160581) | 11
N | Mr Colin Pickthall (West Lancashire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 3rd March, Official Report, column 910W, on small business taxation, what plans he has to change the taxation of small businesses. | | (159644) | 12
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will leave the basic rate of insurance premium tax unchanged in this year's budget. | | (160324) | 13
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Customs and Excise staff are employed to tackle illegal imports of meat; and if he will make a statement. | | (160631) | 14
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions for illegal import of meat have taken place in each of the last 10 years. | | (160632) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 15
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list the court buildings that are not yet compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and, for each such court, when his Department plans to comply with the Act. | | (160473) | 16
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many posts have been advertised by the Northern Ireland Court Service in the last five years; and how many were reserved, broken down by grade equivalent in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. | | (160334) | 17
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, who in the Northern Ireland Court Service has responsibility for determining whether posts should be reserved. | | (160335) | 18
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the grade equivalent in the Northern Ireland Civil Service is of post of audit manager for the Northern Ireland Court Service as advertised in competition PB/1/04. | | (160336) | 19
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, on what grounds it is stated that the
post of audit manager for the Northern Ireland Court Service is a reserved post from which Irish nationals are excluded in competition PB/1/04. | | (160337) | 20
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, according to what guidance the Northern Ireland Court Service reserves posts; and if he will place a copy of that guidance in the Library. | | (160339) | 21
| Mr John Taylor (Solihull):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment he has made of the financial consequences of reducing the 100-year closure period for decennial population census records for England. | | (160430) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 22
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of BBC licence revenue is derived from notional payments from persons aged over 75 years. | | (160682) | 23
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) amount and (b) proportion of BBC licensing revenue was lost as a result of evasion in the last year for which figures are available. | | (160683) | 24
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many prosecutions there were for offences connected with television licensing in 2003. | | (160684) | 25
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of television licence fee defaulters fell into each socio-economic category in the last year for which figures are available. | | (160685) | 26
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what proportion of television licence-holders the cost of their licence exceeded 2 per cent. of annual income in the last year for which figures are available. | | (160686) | 27
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many persons were (a) fined and (b) imprisoned for not having a television licence in 2003. | | (160687) | 28
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of households who do not own a television in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland. | | (160703) | 29
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much money from the New Opportunities Fund was allocated to Crosby in each year since 1997. | | (160450) | 30
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much money has been spent on the digitisation of content in libraries in Crosby since 1997. | | (160451) | 31
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the work of regional development agencies in developing tourism in Crosby. | | (160564) | 32
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether an officer in the Royal Parks Constabulary who is within two years of retirement at age 60 years will be eligible for transfer to the Metropolitan Police. | | (160347) | 33
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the transfer arrangements for the pensions of officers in the Royal Parks Constabulary when they join the Metropolitan Police will ensure that no officer receives a lower level of (a) pension and (b) lump sum than they would have received had they remained in the RPC under the current arrangements until retirement age. | | (160348) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 34
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants are searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. | | (160604) | 35
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of people living in Zimbabwe who are entitled to a British Army pension. | | (160729) | 36
| Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the accession of new members to NATO on the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty; and if he will make a statement. | | (160325) | 37
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which military bands will visit Gibraltar in 2004. | | (160483) | 38
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Royal Navy ships will visit Gibraltar for the tercentenary celebrations. | | (160484) | 39
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which regiments will visit Gibraltar for the tercentenary celebrations. | | (160485) | 40
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role the Royal Air Force will play in the tercentenary celebrations of Gibraltar. | | (160486) | 41
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will visit Gibraltar in 2004. | | (160487) | 42
| Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what part the Royal Marines will play in the tercentenary celebrations in Gibraltar. | | (160517) | 43
| Mr John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress is being made on the joint provision of leisure facilities at RAF St Athan by the Ministry of Defence and the local authority for use by military and civilian personnel; and if he will make a statement. | | (160744) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 44
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Crosby since 1997. | | (160567) | 45
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on how (a) the Starter Homes Initiative and (b) the Abandoned Homes Initiative have affected the residents of Crosby. | | (160568) | 46
| Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the administration budget was for each New Deal for Communities partnership for each financial year since 1999-2000; and what the estimated administration budget for each such partnership is for financial years (i) 2004-2005 and (ii) 2005-06. | | (160342) | 47
| Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library each New Deal for Communities delivery plan. | | (160343) | 48
| Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the (a) job title and (b) annual salary is of each employee of each New Deal for Communities partnership. | | (160344) | 49
| Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, which consultants have been used by (a) his Department and (b) each New Deal for Communities partnership on the New Deal for Communities in each financial year since 1999-2000; and at what cost. | | (160345) | 50
| Mr Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the timetable for (a) publication and (b) circulation to honourable Members by the Government Office for the South East of copies of the Pre-Budget Report leaflet for the South East; and what the (i) cost and (ii) purpose of the exercise were. | | (160634) | 51
N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will answer the question tabled by the honourable Member for North Essex on 10th February, reference 155144, on elected regional assemblies; and what has delayed his response. | | (159828) | 52
N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to ensure that arguments (a) in favour of and (b) against elected regional assemblies will be put to the public at the regional hearings he is conducting in the next two months. | | (159829) | 53
N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many regional assembly members would be elected by (a) a the first-past-the-post system and (b) the additional member system in each of the regions where the Government proposes to establish elected regional assemblies. | | (159830) | 54
N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when the number of assembly members for the proposed elected regional assemblies in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber will be determined. | | (159831) | 55
N | Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the constituencies for regional assembly members elected by the first-past-the-post system would be in (a) the North East, (b) the
North West and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber. | | (159832) | 56
N | Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will provide further (a) planning guidelines and (b) resources to local planning authorities with respect to applications for G3 technology telecommunications masts. | | (160249) | 57
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much the Government's Financial Guarantee would amount to in each year from 2007 to 2013 for the (a) North West, (b) North East and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber Region; and where the funding would come from. | | (160738) | 58
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, to whom Government Offices of the Regions would be accountable if regional assemblies are introduced. | | (160740) | 59
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the proposed regional assemblies grant in respect of fire and rescue responsibilities will match the total grant of the existing fire and rescue services in the individual regions. | | (160741) | 60
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, from which funding source the difference between the 2002-03 Government grant of £780 million for the North West Region, £350 million for the North East Region and £570 million for the Yorkshire and the Humber Region and the EU funding of £254 million for the North West, £88 million for the North East and £185 million for Yorkshire and the Humber was provided. | | (160742) | 61
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the national public bodies with regional or local offices in the (a) North West Region and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber Region. | | (160753) | 62
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what aspects of EU Regional Policy will be devolved to the English regions. | | (160754) | 63
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the proposed Government grants of £780 million for the North West Region, £350 million for the North East Region and £570 million for Yorkshire and the Humber Region are subject to financial restraints for allocation and use; and by whom they are controlled. | | (160755) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 64
| Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when the network of sector skills councils will be operational. | | (160681) | 65
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many part-time students are in tertiary education, broken down by the age groups (a) 18 to 25, (b) 25 to 35, (c) 35 to 45, (d) 45 to 55, (e) 55 to 65 and (f) 65 plus. | | (159427) | 66
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average Government investment per student within (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) higher and (d) further education was in each of the last five years. | | (159428) | 67
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many women in Crosby have visited an information and communications technology training centre in order to learn skills to return to work. | | (160387) | 68
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Crosby in each of the last five years. | | (160395) | 69
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teacher vacancies there were in Crosby on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them. | | (160396) | 70
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teaching assistants there were in schools in Crosby in (a) each of the last seven years and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. | | (160397) | 71
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding was spent per pupil in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160398) | 72
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many free (a) nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) 3 and (ii) 4 year olds in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160399) | 73
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) Sure Start centres and (b) early excellence centres have been created in Crosby. | | (160400) | 74
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many new nurseries have been established in Crosby since 1997. | | (160401) | 75
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the number of children in Crosby who have gained from the National Childcare Strategy. | | (160402) | 76
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public money has been spent on repairing schools in Crosby in each year since 1997. | | (160403) | 77
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Crosby were taught in classes of more than 30 on the latest date for which figures are available. | | (160404) | 78
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much funding each school in Crosby has received from the New Deal for Schools. | | (160405) | 79
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Crosby have benefited from the Excellence in Cities programme; and what the per pupil spending was in each year since the programme's inception. | | (160406) | 80
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools in Crosby deemed to be failing since 1997 have since reached satisfactory standards. | | (160407) | 81
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of pupils in Crosby reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years. | | (160408) | 82
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of 11-year old pupils in Crosby reached level four in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the last seven years. | | (160409) | 83
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of 15- and 16-year olds in Crosby achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A-C or GNVQ equivalent in each of the last seven years. | | (160410) | 84
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding has been spent on higher education in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160411) | 85
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students in Crosby have benefited from New Opportunity bursaries. | | (160412) | 86
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much money has been allocated to schools in Crosby for information and communications technologies since 2001. | | (160413) | 87
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the percentage change in the science budget in schools has been in Crosby since 2000. | | (160414) | 88
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many residents of Crosby have undertaken apprenticeships in each of the last five years. | | (160438) | 89
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding has been spent on education in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160440) | 90
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of teachers in Crosby have received computer training. | | (160444) | 91
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160445) | 92
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many Capital Modernisation Fund computer-learning centres have been established in Crosby. | | (160446) | 93
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) teachers and (b) families in Crosby have benefited from the Computers within Reach programme. | | (160447) | 94
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much money was allocated to Crosby from the Capital Modernisation Fund. | | (160448) | 95
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people in Crosby have received a computer to assist in seeking employment or retraining. | | (160449) | 96
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many childcare places have been created in Crosby since 1997. | | (160524) | 97
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the effects on schools of changes since 1997 in the level of investment in school sports in Crosby. | | (160566) | 98
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average class size in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools was in each year since 1997. | | (160476) | 99
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) primary school and (b) secondary school teachers there were per pupil of the relevant age-group in each year since 1997. | | (160478) | 100
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) 16, (b) 17, (c) 18, (d) 19, (e) 20 and (f) 21-year-olds were in further education in the last year for which figures are last available. | | (160459) | 101
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the quality of provision by the Isle of Wight college since publication of the statement by the Baroness Blackstone contained in the Department of Education and Skills press notices 1999/0212. | | (160272) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 102
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on farm income levels for farmers in Crosby in the past five years. | | (160394) | 103
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many homes in Crosby have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. | | (160569) | 104
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on (a) recent trends in investment in renewable energy and (b) the effect of those trends upon residents of Crosby. | | (160570) | 105
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was first informed that cattle feeding studies involving Chardon LL fodder maize had been requested by (a) the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and (b) the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs. | | (160633) | 106
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Chardon LL fodder maize has a greater value for cultivation and use than the conventional varieties from which it was bred. | | (160571) | 107
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ensure that new scientific evidence from Norway on the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus promoter is taken into account before a decision is taken on the seed listing of Chardon LL fodder maize. | | (160572) | 108
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was informed that (a) the transgenic insert used in Chardon LL is unstable and (b) the variety would be incapable of passing the distinctiveness, uniformity and stability test under Directive 2001/18/EC. | | (160573) | 109
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was informed that cattle feeding studies involving Chardon LL fodder maize had been requested by the (a) Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment and (b) Advisory Committee on Animal Feedstuffs. | | (160574) | 110
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has given consent for harvested Chardon LL forage maize from farm-scale evaluation sites to be taken-off site and used in cattle-feeding studies at the Reading University Centre for Dairy Research. | | (160575) | 111
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government's policy on harvested material from GM crops involved in the farm-scale evaluation programme being fed to animals or otherwise entering the food chain has changed. | | (160576) | 112
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that no milk or meat from the cattle involved in the Chardon LL feeding studies at Reading University has entered the food chain. | | (160577) | 113
| 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 Chardon LL feeding trial involving broiler chickens in relation to the health and safety of GMHT fodder maize. | | (160578) | 114
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has communicated the shortcomings of the farm-scale evaluation maize trials to the lead competent authority in France, as required by Directive 2001/18/EC; and whether she has requested a variation in the conditions attached to the Part C consent for Chardon LL fodder maize. | | (160579) | 115
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the results of the GM herbicide review undertaken by the Swedish herbicide authorities on behalf of the EU; and whether these results will inform her decision on the granting of herbicide approval for Liberty herbicide to be used in the management of Chardon LL fodder maize. | | (160580) | 116
| Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was informed that the dry matter content for Chardon LL averages 27.3 per cent. | | (160619) | 117
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to announce the outcome of the consultation on reform of the sugar regime; and if she will make a statement. | | (160490) | 118
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the change in support which will result from the introduction of single farm payment to farmers in severely disadvantaged areas. | | (160491) | 119
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the (a) severely disadvantaged areas and (b) number of farmers in each. | | (160492) | 120
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is towards providing assistance to farmers in severely disadvantaged areas following the introduction of the single farm payment. | | (160493) | 121
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the financial cost would be of restricting single farm payment at the lower rate to farmers in the hill farm allowance area rather than to all farmers in the severely disadvantaged areas. | | (160494) | 122
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will rescind her decision to pay single farm payment at a lower rate to all farmers in severely disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement. | | (160495) | 123
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff were employed in (a) her Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible in each of the last 10 years. | | (160589) | 124
| Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the European (a) Agriculture and (b) Trade Commissioner on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy sugar regime; and if she will make a statement. | | (160559) | 125
| Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which of the options for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy sugar regime set out in the European Commission's working paper, Reforming the European Union's Sugar Policy, is preferred by her Department. | | (160560) | 126
| Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to eliminate all agricultural export subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy; and if she will make a statement. | | (160561) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 127
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had regarding the role played by the German Government in setting the agenda for the international summit on Afghanistan to be held in Berlin. | | (159504) | 128
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is regarding the role that former Taliban members should play in the future government of Afghanistan; and what his policy is regarding proposals for an amnesty for those Taliban members deemed no longer to constitute a terrorist threat. | | (159505) | 129
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the US Administration on stability in Uruzgun, Afghanistan during the period of February to 30th June 2004. | | (159537) | 130
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of public expenditure by the Office of the President of Zimbabwe. | | (160721) | 131
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Zimbabwe Government about its (a) Public Order and Security Act and (b) Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. | | (160726) | 132
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the numbers of (a) children and (b) dependants of Zimbabwean (i) police, (ii) military personnel, (iii) civil servants, (iv) judges and (v) government ministers who are being educated in (A) schools, (B) colleges and (C) universities in the United Kingdom. | | (160728) | 133
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the European Union, (b) the United Nations and (c) the Commonwealth on the activities of the youth militia in Zimbabwe. | | (160730) | 134
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the European Union about the list of persons from Zimbabwe banned from travelling to member states in the European Union. | | (160733) | 135
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Amnesty International on prison conditions in Zimbabwe. | | (160734) | 136
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) Mr Henry Dolia, (b) Lieutenant General Solomon Majuri and (c) Mr Joseph Mwale are on the EU list of Zimbabweans who are banned from travelling to member states of the European Union. | | (160735) | 137
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the list published in the Daily News in Zimbabwe in 2003 of (a) police and (b) others who are suspected of human rights abuses. | | (160736) | 138
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what mechanisms exist to establish a forum at United Nations level facilitating dialogue between aid representatives and representatives of governments. | | (160737) | 139
| Derek Conway (Old Bexley & Sidcup):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many representations he has received on the implications for British posts in the Caribbean region of his Department's paper on UK International Priorities, a Strategy for the FCO. | | (160562) | 140
| Derek Conway (Old Bexley & Sidcup):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what deadline he has set for responses to his paper on UK International Priorities, a Strategy for the FCO; and whether the paper will be discussed at the Caribbean foreign ministers forum in May. | | (160563) | 141
N | Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to work with the other occupying powers in Iraq to ensure that (a) those Iraqi workers who were dismissed for trade union activities under Saddam Hussein are reinstated and (b) the International Labour Organisation is invited to assist the framing of Iraq's new labour and employment laws. | | (159645) | 142
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department last met members of the (i) government of the Maldives and (ii) Maldivian Democratic Party; and what was discussed. | | (160667) | 143
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of respect for human rights in the Maldives. | | (160668) | 144
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on relations between the EU and the Maldives. | | (160670) | 145
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the current (a) bilateral treaties, (b) agreements and (c) protocols between the British Government and the government of the Maldives. | | (160671) | 146
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the current Government advice is to British citizens in respect of (a) bilateral trade with and (b) tourism in the Maldives. | | (160672) | 147
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens visited the Maldives in 2003 (a) on official business, (b) on commercial missions and (c) on holiday. | | (160673) | 148
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received about the activities of the National Security Service of the Maldives; and what assessment he has made of these activities. | | (160674) | 149
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on behalf of prisoners at Maafushi Island Prison in the Maldives. | | (160675) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 150
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were waiting for in-patient hospital treatment in the Mid Essex Hospital Trust area for each of the last two months. | | (159424) | 151
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of written questions for answer by his Department on a named day received a holding answer in the period between State Opening in (a) November 1998, (b) November 1999, (c) December 2000, (d) November 2002 and (e) November 2003 and the last day of February in the following year; and of those questions, what proportion received a substantive answer (i) within five parliamentary sitting days, (ii) within six to 10 parliamentary sitting days, (iii) within 11 to 20 parliamentary sitting days and (iv) after more than 20 parliamentary sitting days. | | (159997) | 152
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of nurses NHS Direct will employ in England by 2006; and if he will make a statement. | | (160340) | 153
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, from which budget the (a) £30 million scheme for out-of-hours provision announced on 4th March and (b) the wider £100 million growth package will be paid. | | (160341) | 154
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the £100 million growth package referred to in his Department's press release of 4th March is being spent. | | (160346) | 155
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 26th February, Official Report, column 548W, on NHS budgets, what the £37 million will be spent on. | | (160456) | 156
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what monitoring has been undertaken by his Department of the availability of opticians who will accept NHS vouchers for prescriptions for spectacles. | | (160677) | 157
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the reimbursement of opticians by NHS organisations of the value of NHS vouchers for spectacles; and if he will make a statement. | | (160678) | 158
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5th March, Official Report, column 1160W, on cholesterol, if he will estimate the prevalence of raised blood cholesterol in (a) men and (b) women in England. | | (160700) | 159
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4th March, Official Report, column 1119W, on the Working Time Directive, how he will (a) monitor compliance with the Working Time Directive and (b) prepare for its implementation. | | (160701) | 160
| Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 4th March, Official Report, column 1112W, on the IT Programme, what the total projected cost of the National Programme for Information Technology was for each year when it was announced, including local and central procurement; what the latest available total projected cost is; and if he will make a statement. | | (160702) | 161
| Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the implementation of IT in pilot schemes for dentists; and if he will make a statement. | | (160525) | 162
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of women in Crosby with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks in each of the last five years. | | (160386) | 163
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public funding has been spent on (a) heart disease and (b) cancer care in Crosby in each of the last five years. | | (160388) | 164
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents in Crosby aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests. | | (160389) | 165
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the numbers of NHS (a) doctors and (b) nurses in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160390) | 166
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS (a) therapists and (b) scientists were located in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160391) | 167
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times in the last seven years for residents of Crosby. | | (160392) | 168
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of suspected cancer patients in Crosby saw an NHS consultant within two weeks in each of the last seven years. | | (160393) | 169
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on NHS waiting times for heart surgery in Crosby. | | (160431) | 170
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents in Crosby awaiting heart surgery have had the option of choosing an alternative hospital for quicker treatment in the last 12 months. | | (160432) | 171
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the levels of elective admissions to the NHS in Crosby in the past five years. | | (160433) | 172
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many rapid access chest pain clinics there are in Crosby. | | (160434) | 173
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there is a diagnostic and treatment centre located in Crosby. | | (160435) | 174
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the number of NHS beds available in Crosby in each year since 1997. | | (160436) | 175
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the effect on residents of Crosby of the Health Development Agency. | | (160437) | 176
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public funding has been spent on health in Crosby in each of the last seven years. | | (160439) | 177
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many senior citizens in Crosby have access to free eye tests. | | (160534) | 178
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were per head of population in each year since 1997. | | (160474) | 179
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were practising per 1000 population in each year since 1997. | | (160482) | 180
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients had their hospital discharge delayed while awaiting community care packages in each year since 1997. | | (160513) | 181
| Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of the NHS hand hygiene trial launched in July 2003 was; and what the outcome was. | | (160605) | 182
| Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Patient Safety Agency. | | (160606) | 183
| Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of the National Patient Safety Agency was in each year for which figures are available; and how many staff it employed in each year, broken down by (a) whole-time equivalent and (b) headcount. | | (160607) | 184
| Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial help is available from the Government to assist general practitioner practices in the purchase of telephone systems. | | (160329) | 185
| Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue guidance to general practitioner practices on the use of premium rate numbers by which patients call to obtain appointments and services. | | (160330) | 186
| Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of general practitioner practices within the NHS which use premium rate telephone numbers by which patients call to obtain appointments and services. | | (160331) | 187
| Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2nd March, Official Report, column 861W, on Mercury Healthcare, on what date negotiations were entered into regarding the provision of an indepedent sector treatment centre with Capio UK. | | (160355) | 188
| Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Accident and Emergency Department at Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital was closed and replaced by an emergency department; and what the difference between the two facilities is. | | (160367) | 189
| Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) intensive care beds, (b) high dependence beds, (c) medical beds and (d) acute surgery beds there were at Ashford (Middlesex) Hospital on 31st December of each year from 1997. | | (160368) | 190
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department is taking to ensure that the public is aware of the Choosing Health consultation events; what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) hosting and (b) advertising such events; and whether the costs will be met by his Department. | | (160657) | 191
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the net change in the number of (a) general practitioners, as defined in the NHS Plan (Cm 4818), (b) nurses, (c) consultants and (d) midwives was for each year since 1997. | | (160658) | 192
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the impact of the European Working Time Directive on the number of hours a trainee surgeon will complete between senior house officer grade and obtaining a consultant post; and if he will make a statement. | | (160659) | 193
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the evidence on which the finding is based that premature death from (a) cancer has reduced by 10 per cent. and (b) coronary heart disease has reduced by 23 per cent. since 1997, as set out in the foreword to the consultation document Choosing Health. | | (160660) | 194
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has for the ambulance service to play a role in the provision of out-of-hours emergency care. | | (160661) | 195
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there is a facility in the National Programme for IT accredited systems for general practitioners to write free text notes on the patient in the electronic patient record. | | (160662) | 196
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the EMIS IT system is one of the accredited systems for the National Programme for IT. | | (160663) | 197
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timescale his Department has set for the implementation of the National Programme for IT in general practice. | | (160664) | 198
| Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the scale of health tourism; and if he will make a statement. | | (160665) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 199
| Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1st March 2004, Official Report, column 714W on Cheadle Royal Hospital, if he will place in the Library a copy of the reply from the Director of Operations to the honourable Member for Cheadle. | | (160458) | 200
| Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1st March, Official Report, columns 714-5W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, when the administrative arrangements for challenge and review of formal decisions of the Charity Commission were implemented. | | (160511) | 201
| Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1st March, Official Report, columns 714-5W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, when the Charity Commission reported the disposals of Cheadle Royal Hospital assets to Parliament; when the reports were audited by the National Audit Office; and when the Public Accounts Committee reviewed the audited reports. | | (160512) | 202
| Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list for each (a) London borough and (b) local authority for each of the last three years the number of properties provided by (i) local authorities, (ii) housing associations and (iii) the private sector to the National Asylum Support Service. | | (160705) | 203
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officer entry level training courses have been run over the past 12 months; what the start date of each course was; where each course was held; what the capacity of each course was; how many new recruits or converting staff started each course; how many completed each course; and if he will make a statement. | | (160745) | 204
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officers left prison service employment within (a) six months, (b) one year and (c) two years of becoming an officer in each of the last five years. | | (160746) | 205
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate the Prison Service has made of the number of new prison officers it will need to recruit to provide a full staff complement by April 2005. | | (160747) | 206
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Prison Service expects to be fully staffed with prison officer grades. | | (160748) | 207
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost has been of the maintenance and refurbishment of each prison for each of the last five years. | | (160749) | 208
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the latest estimates are for the maintenance and refurbishment of each prison for the next five years. | | (160750) | 209
| Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated cost of the backlog in maintenance for each prison establishment is; and if he will make a statement. | | (160751) | 210
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much public funding has been provided to front-line domestic violence agencies in Crosby since 1997. | | (160385) | 211
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing (a) mobile and (b) fixed local reader systems for national identity cards. | | (160452) | 212
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultations his Department has held with members of minority groups regarding identity cards. | | (160453) | 213
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police forces may have access to the credit reference agency database (a) with and (b) without the knowledge of the individual concerned. | | (160454) | 214
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the trials which have been conducted into mobile devices to check biometrics. | | (160455) | 215
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much public funding has been spent on CCTV security cameras in Crosby since 1997. | | (160535) | 216
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public funds were spent on tackling drugs misuse in Crosby in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 2003-04. | | (160536) | 217
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in full-time police officers in Crosby has been since 1997. | | (160537) | 218
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded violent crime, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts in Crosby has been since 1997. | | (160538) | 219
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what powers preventing racial harassment have been introduced since 1997; and how many times these powers have been used in Crosby. | | (160549) | 220
| Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has the authority to carry out inspections of police cells when they are being used to hold prisoners under Operation Safeguard. | | (160698) | 221
| Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list police station cells which have been certified in the manner required by section 14 of the Prison Act 1952. | | (160699) | 222
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether revenues raised from speed cameras were included in the calculation of the Thames Valley police budget for (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04. | | (160652) | 223
| Mr Win Griffiths (Bridgend):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of rape were reported to the police by women in (a) 1981, (b) 1991, (c) 2001 and (d) the last year for which statistics are available; how many of these reports resulted in prosecutions in each year; and how many prosecutions were successful. | | (160518) | 224
| Mr Win Griffiths (Bridgend):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of rape were reported to the police by men in (a) 1981, (b) 1991, (c) 2001 and (d) the last year for which statistics are available; how many of these reports resulted in prosecutions in each year; and how many prosecutions were successful. | | (160519) | 225
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter to him from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 5th February with regard to certain allegations. | | (160488) | 226
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department will reply to the letter to him from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 15th January with regard to Mr A Nicholls. | | (160489) | 227
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for asylum were received in 2003 from citizens of the Maldives; and how many were approved. | | (160669) | 228
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many policemen there were in (a) England and Wales and (b) England as per 1,000 population in each year since 1997. | | (160480) | 229
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many probation areas in England and Wales have reported that they will experience difficulties in producing a balanced budget for 2004-05. | | (160465) | 230
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many probation areas in England and Wales are expecting a shortfall in budget for 2004-05. | | (160466) | 231
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the expected shortfall in the London Probation Area budget for 2004-05 is. | | (160467) | 232
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which probation areas will be financially penalised during the next financial year as a consequence of failing to meet 2003-04 targets; and what size the penalty will be in each case. | | (160468) | 233
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the Director General of the National Offender Management Service will ensure that the (a) Prison and (b) Probation Services are adequately funded to ensure that all their statutory duties are complied with. | | (160469) | 234
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) certified normal accommodation and (b) number of prisoners held in each prison establishment was on 31st December for each of the past five years. | | (160470) | 235
| John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what new accommodation has been provided at each prison establishment in each of the last five years; and how this new accommodation has affected the certified normal accommodation of each establishment. | | (160471) | 236
| Mr Humfrey Malins (Woking):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration judicial review applications there have been in the last two years for which figures are available; and of those, how many took (a) more than six months and (b) more than one year from first application to final conclusion. | | (160463) | 237
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which companies act as suppliers of DNA profiles to the National DNA Database. | | (160550) | 238
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how intellectual property rights relating to DNA sequences in samples stored by suppliers to the National DNA Database are assigned; and if he will make a statement. | | (160551) | 239
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many research projects have been (a) approved and (b) refused by the National DNA Database Board since 1995. | | (160552) | 240
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many research projects involving (a) behavioural genetics and (b) ethnic or racial profiling have been approved by the National DNA Database Board since 1995. | | (160553) | 241
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners are being held in prisons in England and Wales, broken down by (a) ethnic and (b) religious group; and if he will provide the equivalent figures for each of the last five years. | | (160554) | 242
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many miles were driven by prison and court escort contractors in 2003. | | (160555) | 243
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions in the last year immigration detainees were held overnight in police cells. | | (160556) | 244
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of undetected stowaways entering the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160372) | 245
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many persons concealed in vehicles were detected at border control points in the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160373) | 246
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stowaways were detected at border controls in mainland Europe in (a) vehicles and (b) cargo bound for the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160374) | 247
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was levied by the UK authorities in fines on (a) drivers and (b) freight companies found carrying stowaways in goods vehicles in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160375) | 248
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants were arrested by the authorities in the UK other than at points of entry into the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160376) | 249
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated cost is of his Department's efforts to detect and deter illegal immigrants from entering the UK through concealment in vehicles in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160377) | 250
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Government of illegal immigrants who avoid detection at points of entry into the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160378) | 251
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many personnel are employed by his Department for the purpose of the detection of stowaways in vehicles at UK points of entry; and if he will make a statement. | | (160379) | 252
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vehicles were checked for stowaways at UK border checkpoints in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160380) | 253
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average inspection time spent per vehicle at UK border checkpoints was when checking for stowaways in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160381) | 254
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the average time that a stowaway has been in a vehicle prior to detection at a border control point in the UK; and if he will make a statement. | | (160382) | 255
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who makes the decision to impose a football banning order on an individual under the Football Spectators Act 1989, as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000. | | (160507) | 256
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has advised the Football Association that the provisons of the Football Spectators Act 1989, as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000, apply to players and officials as well as to football supporters. | | (160508) | 257
| Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) football players and (b) officials have been subject to a football banning order under the Football Spectators Act 1989, as amended by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000. | | (160509) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 258
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to work with the governments of (a) Kazakhstan, (b) Turkmenistan, (c) Tajikistan and (d) Pakistan to stabilise wheat prices in Afghanistan; and what assessment he has made of the impact of wheat prices on stability within Afghanistan. | | (159503) | 259
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the objectives were of the (a) environment and tropical forests and (b) training and public awareness projects financed by the General Commission Budget in 2002; what his Department's involvement in the projects was; what the outcome was; and what assessment he has made of their value for money. | | (160704) | 260
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the value for money provided by EU Official Development Assistance on (a) production sectors, (b) social infrastructure and services, (c) economic infrastructure and services and (d) multisector/cross-cutting projects in 2002 that was financed by the General Commission Budget and the European Development Fund; and on what criteria his assessment is based. | | (160709) | 261
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what his Department's involvement was in the (a) humanitarian aid, (b) food aid and (c) pre-accession, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey projects financed under the General Commission Budget in 2002; and what the outcome was in each case. | | (160710) | 262
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the objectives were of the (a) Latin America, (b) Asia and (c) pre-accession PHARE projects financed under the General Commission Budget in 2002; what his Department's involvement in each project was; what the outcome was; and what assessment he has made of value for money in each case. | | (160711) | 263
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the objectives were of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (a) near and Middle East, (b) Mediterranean and (c) South Africa projects financed under the General Commission Budget in 2002; what his Department's involvement in each project was; what the outcome was; and what assessment he has made of value for money in each case. | | (160712) | 264
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the objectives were of the (a) Western Balkans, (b) NIS and Mongolia/CEECS and (c) NIS and Mongolia/TACIS projects financed under the General Commission Budget in 2002; what his Department's involvement in them was; what the outcome was; and what assessment he has made of their value for money. | | (160713) | 265
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the outcome was of the (a) anti-personnel mines and (b) pre-accession ISPA projects financed from the General Commission Budget in 2002; and what his Department's involvement in each project was. | | (160714) | 266
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the objectives were of the (a) co-ordination and evaluation, (b) social infrastructure and services and (c) global health fund projects financed under the General Commission Budget in 2002; what his Department's involvement in the projects was; what the outcome was; and what assessment he has made of their value for money. | | (160715) | 267
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in respect of which projects financed under the General Commission Budget co-financing of non-governmental organisations took place in 2002. | | (160716) | 268
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will break down by main category the 104.25 million euros classified as unallocated/unspecified in the financial tables on page 256 of the Annual Report 2003 from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the EC Development Policy and the Implementation of External Assistance in 2002. | | (160717) | 269
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will break down by main category the 141.86 million euros of administrative costs of donors in the EU's Official Development Assistance in 2002, as referred to in the financial tables on page 256 of the Annual Report 2003 from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the EC Development Policy and the Implementation of External Assistance in 2002. | | (160718) | 270
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the value for money provided by EU Official Development Assistance on (a) Action Relating to Debt and (b) Commodity Aid and the General Programme in 2002 financed by the General Commission Budget and the European Development Fund; and on what criteria his assessment is based. | | (160719) | 271
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the value for money provided by EU Official Development Assistance devoted to emergency and distress relief in 2002; and on what criteria his assessment is based. | | (160720) | 272
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on the level of assistance provided by the World Food Programme to urban areas of Zimbabwe in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004. | | (160722) | 273
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will provide (a) chemicals and (b) personnel to the local authority in Harare to improve its water treatment capacity. | | (160723) | 274
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the value of the EU humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe of the method of its conversion into local currency. | | (160724) | 275
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations he has received on the need for pharmaceutical supplies in hospitals in Zimbabwe. | | (160725) | 276
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if his Department will provide financial assistance to the George VI School and Rehabilitation Centre in Bulawayo to assist its work with disabled and orphaned children. | | (160727) | 277
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the work of the Legal Resources Foundation in Zimbabwe; and if his Department will contribute funds to it. | | (160731) | 278
| Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to ensure that credit is not claimed by the Zimbabwean Government for aid provided to Zimbabwe by his Department. | | (160732) | 279
| Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the impact of Common Agricultural Policy export subsidies on poverty in developing countries; and if he will make a statement. | | (160590) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 280
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were per head of population in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. | | (160472) | 281
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average class size in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland was in each year since 1997. | | (160475) | 282
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) primary school and (b) secondary school teachers there were per pupil of the relevant age-group in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. | | (160477) | 283
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many police officers there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. | | (160479) | 284
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were practising in Northern Ireland per 1,000 population in each year since 1997. | | (160481) | 285
| Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staffed inpatient beds there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. | | (160496) | 286
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of Catholics there were in the senior civil service in the last period for which figures are available. | | (160332) | 287
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when annual funding to the Southern Education and Library Board will be made available; and if he will make a statement. | | (160333) | 288
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many posts in the Northern Ireland Civil Service of the grade equivalent to that of the post of audit manager for the Northern Ireland Court Service as advertised in competition PB/1/04 advertised in each of the last five years (a) have and (b) have not been reserved. | | (160338) | 289
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the review of funding of the voluntary sector; and when policy emerging from that review is likely to be implemented. | | (160363) | 290
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for what reasons the basis for core funding of ethnic minority voluntary groups has been changed to a one year cycle. | | (160364) | 291
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Equality Commission on the exclusion of Irish nationals from senior Civil Service posts. | | (160365) | 292
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, from how many public competitions for Civil Service posts Irish nationals were excluded in the last year. | | (160366) | 293
| Mr Seamus Mallon (Newry & Armagh):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether an equality impact assessment has been carried out on funding policy for ethnic minority voluntary groups. | | (160457) | 294
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many speeding detections were made by (a) hand held and (b) permanent cameras between March 2003 and February 2004, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area; and how many convictions resulted in each case. | | (160320) | 295
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the location of each permanent speed camera in Northern Ireland was between March 2003 and February 2004; how many detections were made by each camera; how many convictions were made as a result; and how much money was generated through speeding fines from each camera. | | (160321) | 296
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many driving misdemeanours were dealt with by the Police Service of Northern Ireland from March 2003 to February 2004, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area. | | (160322) | 297
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many speed cameras were operated by the Police Service of Northern Ireland between March 2003 and February 2004, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) council area. | | (160323) | 298
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the contribution made by health service employees aged 65 or over to the NHS in Northern Ireland. | | (160464) | 299
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many health service employees were aged 65 years and above in Northern Ireland on the latest date for which figures are available. | | (160585) | 300
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the funding of the new Acquired Brain Injury Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital. | | (160586) | 301
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what annual salary will be paid to members of the International Monitoring Commission; and what he estimates Commission members' average annual expenses will be. | | (160587) | 302
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will estimate the (a) cost of setting up and (b) annual running costs of the International Monitoring Commission. | | (160588) | 303
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many full days General John de Chastelain has spent in Northern Ireland during 2004. | | (160591) | 304
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of members of the Equality Commission he expects would be perceived to come from the Protestant community. | | (160608) | 305
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his policy is on enforced retirement of health service employees on account of age. | | (160609) | 306
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many pregnancies there were in females aged (a) 14 years and under, (b) 15 years, (c) 16 years, (d) 17 years, (e) 18 years and (f) 19 years in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland. | | (160610) | 307
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much the Police Service of Northern Ireland has paid to recruitment agencies since its formation; and how much was paid to recruitment agencies in each of the last three years of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. | | (160611) | 308
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will estimate the (a) cost and (b) number of working days lost as a result of asthma in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available. | | (160612) | 309
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost of the Speaker's Office in the Northern Ireland Assembly has been since 1998. | | (160613) | 310
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on research into combatting MRSA which is being conducted in the province. | | (160614) | 311
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many deaths were attributable to MRSA in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. | | (160615) | 312
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the merits of publishing (a) caesarean rates and (b) general outcomes for individual consultant obstetricians in Northern Ireland. | | (160616) | 313
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what precautions have been taken to counter an outbreak of avian influenza in Northern Ireland. | | (160617) | 314
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what additional duties will be the responsibility of the Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly as a result of the recent resignation of the Speaker. | | (160618) | 315
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of the Northern Ireland population (a) overall, (b) under 16 years of age, (c) of primary school age and (d) of pre-school children are registered with a dentist. | | (160620) | 316
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many births there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many there were in (a) 1994, (b) 1989 and (c) 1984. | | (160621) | 317
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many birth defects there were in Northern Ireland in each year since 1999. | | (160622) | 318
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what methods are being employed to ensure that the percentage of pupils achieving at least three A grades at A level in Northern Ireland is maintained. | | (160625) | 319
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps are being taken to increase the number of radiographers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. | | (160626) | 320
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will estimate the cost resulting from teenage pregnancies in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available. | | (160627) | 321
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the most recent figures are for the numbers of (a) employed radiographers and (b) vacancies for radiographers in Northern Ireland. | | (160628) | 322
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what precautionary steps are to be taken to ensure that health professionals from other EU member states are fit to practise on arrival in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to the imminent expansion of the European Union. | | (160629) | 323
| Mr John Taylor (Solihull):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the financial consequences of establishing a new (a) 80 and (b) 90 year closure period for decennial population census records for Northern Ireland. | | (160429) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland 324
| Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what conclusions he has drawn for Scotland from the writings of the Government Chief Scientist on climate change. | | (160371) | 325
| Mr Win Griffiths (Bridgend):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list the years in which each of the 1851 to 1901 decennial censuses were released for public inspection. | | (160655) | 326
| Mr John Taylor (Solihull):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the financial consequences of reducing the 100-year census closure period for decennial population census records for Scotland. | | (160428) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 327
N | Dr Jack Cunningham (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many workers who transferred from AEA Technology to British Nuclear Fuels on 2nd December 2003 lost pension benefits as a result; for what reasons they are required to pay increased contribution rates for pensions in their new jobs; and if she will make a statement. | | (159886) | 328
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many new businesses have been established in Crosby since 1997. | | (160441) | 329
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many workers in Crosby have benefited from the national minimum wage. | | (160520) | 330
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many and what percentage of women in Crosby have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997. | | (160521) | 331
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the benefits of the EU Social Chapter for the residents of Crosby. | | (160522) | 332
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the benefits to residents of Crosby of new rights for night-shift workers. | | (160527) | 333
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Crosby qualify for paid leave entitlements. | | (160539) | 334
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Crosby benefit from the right to four weeks' paid holiday. | | (160540) | 335
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Crosby have benefited from new rights to representation at (a) disciplinary and (b) grievance hearings. | | (160541) | 336
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Crosby have benefited from a reduction of the working week to 48 hours. | | (160542) | 337
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Crosby have benefited from the increase in unfair dismissal compensation to £50,000. | | (160543) | 338
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps the Government has taken to help small businesses in Crosby since 1997. | | (160582) | 339
| Michael Fabricant (Lichfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many conferences and seminars the Department has cancelled since June 2001; and what the cost of these cancellations was. | | (160557) | 340
| Michael Fabricant (Lichfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) conferences and (b) seminars the Department has held since June 2001; and what the cost was in each case. | | (160558) | 341
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what responsibility her Department has in developing (a) permanent, (b) secure and (c) digital archiving technology; and if she will make a statement. | | (160666) | 342
| Mr Paul Stinchcombe (Wellingborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will recommend to the Office of Fair Trading that it judges the Tesco Adminstore merger on the basis of Tesco's share of the overall grocery market. | | (160460) | 343
| Mr Paul Stinchcombe (Wellingborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will direct the Office of Fair Trading to refer Tesco's proposed acquisition of Adminstore to the Competition Commission on the grounds of public interest considerations of the socio-economic consequences of further consolidation of the grocery market. | | (160461) | 344
| Mr Paul Stinchcombe (Wellingborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will recommend that the Office of Fair Trading refer Tesco's proposed acquisition of Adminstore to the Competition Commission. | | (160462) | 345
| Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what provision will be made in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Segregated Account for the very long-term management of radioactive waste. | | (160656) | 346
| Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 5th March, Official Report, column 1180w, on radioactive waste, what her policy is on making Nirex independent of the industry. | | (160680) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 347
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what has been the change in costs of travelling by (a) car, (b) train and (c) bus in each year since 1974, taking 1974 as a base figure of 100, and discounting inflation. | | (160584) | 348
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the percentage change in (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on roads in Crosby has been since 1997. | | (160544) | 349
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds in Crosby since 1997. | | (160545) | 350
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rural bus services in Crosby are supported by rural bus grants. | | (160546) | 351
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Crosby since 1997. | | (160547) | 352
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the effect of investment in railway improvements over the next 10 years upon residents of Crosby. | | (160548) | 353
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the siting of (a) fixed and (b) mobile speed cameras; and if he will make a statement. | | (160651) | 354
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what revenues were raised from speed cameras in the Wycombe District Council area in 2002-03. | | (160653) | 355
| Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how revenues raised from speed cameras in Wycombe District Council area are spent. | | (160654) | 356
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many closed container vehicles and trailers, including curtain-sided ones, are (a) registered in and (b) operate from the UK; and if he will make a statement. | | (160326) | 357
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate how many closed container vehicles and trailers, including curtain-sided ones, travelled to mainland Europe through (a) the Channel tunnel and (b) ferry ports in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160327) | 358
| Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate how many closed container vehicles and trailers, including curtain-sided ones, (a) operating from the UK travelled to Europe and (b) operating in mainland Europe travelled to the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. | | (160328) | Questions to the Minister for Women 359
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Minister for Women, what activities she has planned in recognition of International Women's Day. | | (159425) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 360
N | Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming council tax benefit. | | (159916) | 361
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department is working to help Remploy provide more opportunities for learning and employment to disabled people. | | (159426) | 362
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Crosby have benefited from (a) the New Deal for Lone Parents and (b) the New Deal for Partners since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (160384) | 363
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the measures introduced to improve the working conditions of disabled workers in Crosby over the last seven years. | | (160526) | 364
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth unemployment in Crosby over the last seven years. | | (160529) | 365
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents in Crosby have gained work through the New Deal programme. | | (160530) | 366
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many senior citizens in Crosby have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997. | | (160583) | 367
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the planned date is by which all Child Support Agency maintenance assessments calculated under the old system will have been transferred to the new system. | | (160743) | 368
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date the Child Support Agency EDS (Plain Version) Plan will be available. | | (160356) | 369
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) Child Support Agency sites, and (b) Child Support Agency staff at each, are dealing specifically with clerical cases caused by the new system failures. | | (160357) | 370
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) trained staff and (b) other resources to the Child Support Agency to handle the increase in manual clerical cases due to the failures of the new system. | | (160358) | 371
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current timescale is for a manual payment to be made to a parent with care once the Child Support Agency has identified that the case is a new system failure; and how much money has been received from non-resident parents and not yet paid to parents with care under the new system. | | (160359) | 372
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made in resolving the failings of the new Child Support Agency computer systems; and what timescale has been set for the problems to be resolved. | | (160360) | 373
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many incidents of non-payment of money received from the non-resident parent to the parent with care owing to software failure there have been under the new Child Support Agency system for (a) new straightforward cases and (b) migrated cases. | | (160361) | 374
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent departmental staff are employed in each pension centre. | | (160349) | 375
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit recipients have reported a significant and material change in their circumstances in each month since October 2003; and of these, how many subsequently (a) have had their claims reassessed, (b) have had their awards (i) increased, (ii) decreased and (iii) withdrawn and (c) are still waiting for their notifications to be processed. | | (160350) | 376
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many regular pension service drop-in and appointment surgeries have been established (a) in each region, (b) in each local authority cluster, (c) in each constituency and (d) in total. | | (160351) | 377
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of telephone calls to (a) the pension credit application line and (b) the Pension Service which were not classed as engaged or abandoned were answered within 20 seconds in each month since it was established; how many and what percentage of attempted telephone calls to each reached an engaged tone in each month since it was established; and how many and what percentage of telephone calls to each were abandoned in each month since it was established. | | (160352) | 378
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit applications have been made (a) through the pension credit application line, (b) in writing, (c) via the internet, (d) through a home visit, (e) through a local Pension Service surgery and (f) by another method. | | (160353) | 379
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether local Pension Service staff have IT facilities (a) to view customers' details and (b) to record ongoing action on the Pension Service database whilst conducting (i) a home visit and (ii) a surgery; what the average time taken for the appropriate pension centre (A) to input this information and (B) to amend existing records on the main database is; and if he will make a statement. | | (160354) | 380
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 23rd February, Official Report, column 320W, on pension credit, how many home visits involving pension credit have been undertaken in each local authority cluster in each month since the Pension Service was created. | | (160510) | 381
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received concerning shortages of paper versions of the Pension Credit application pack; what discussions he has held with affected organisations; and if he will make a statement. | | (160676) | 382
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which direct payment options are (a) offered and (b) available to housing benefit claimants; and if he will make a statement. | | (160679) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 383
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many job vacancies there were in Crosby in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003. | | [Transferred] (160528) | 384
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many birth defects there were in each of the last five years in England. | | [Transferred] (160624) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 385
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many 14 to 16 year olds in England did not receive full-time education in each of the last five years. | | [Transferred] (160362) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 386
| Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount of meat illegally imported into the UK in each of the last 10 years. | | [Transferred] (160630) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 387
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Crosby are receiving drug treatment. | | [Transferred] (160623) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 388
| Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the Government has discussed the proposal for EU Regional Policy with the European Commission; and if she will make a statement. | | [Transferred] (160739) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 389
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mothers in Crosby have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant. | | [Transferred] (160523) |
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