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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Monday 22 March 2004
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 22 March 2004
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Monday 22 March of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department. For other Written Questions for answer on Monday 22 March of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Monday 22 March see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office 1
| Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans there are to co-ordinate the Office of National Statistics citizen information project, the Home Office identification cards database plan and the NHS health records spine. | | (163155) | 2
| Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what powers the Head of e-Government will have to co-ordinate departmental database plans. | | (163156) | 3
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many nominations for public office were made in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004; and how many of these were made online. | | (162808) | 4
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163275) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 5
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many deaths from ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome have been reported since 1991. | | (163165) | 6
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on (a) the circumstances in which an accounting officer should seek a direction from a Minister before authorising expenditure, (b) the number of occasions since 6th June 2001 that such directions have been sought by accounting officers and (c) the Department and sum involved and the purpose of the expenditure for which a direction was sought in each case. | | (162894) | 7
| Peter Bradley (Wrekin, The):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in The Wrekin are in receipt of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit; and what the average change in income has been as a result. | | (162771) | 8
N | Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what amount of inheritance tax revenue was raised from estates of (a) less than £300,000, (b) £300,000 to £400,000, (c) £400,000 to £500,000, (d) £500,000 to £600,000, (e) £600,000 to £700,000, (f) £700,000 to £800,000, (g) £800,000 to £900,000, (h) £900,000 to £1 million and (i) over £1 million in the last year for which figures are available; and in each case what percentage the amount was of the total inheritance tax revenue raised. | | (163022) | 9
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27th February, from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions, Official Report, column 584W, on direct payment, how many (a) Post Office Card Accounts and (b) bank or building society accounts have (i) been requested for and (ii) are receiving payments of child benefit, broken down by region. | | (162736) | 10
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the estimated amount of money lost in each of the last five fiscal years to tax fraud and evasion. | | (162224) | 11
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what efforts are being made to (a) enhance the services provided by the Inland Revenue and (b) facilitate its closer working with other government departments. | | (162225) | 12
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effects of harmonising employer support on income tax, National Insurance contributions and VAT. | | (162226) | 13
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) change and (b) percentage change in the number of full-time jobs in Stroud was from 1997 to 31st December 2003. | | (162738) | 14
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were employed in manufacturing jobs in Stroud in each of the last seven years for which figures are available; and what percentage of the total workforce this represented. | | (162739) | 15
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of unemployment was in Stroud in each year since 1997; and what percentage of the workforce this represented. | | (162740) | 16
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to continue to evaluate its five economic tests for entry to the euro; and what plans he has to publish findings on a regular basis. | | (162836) | 17
| Mr Eric Forth (Bromley & Chislehurst):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) births, (b) deaths, (c) marriages and (d) divorces there were in each year since 1997. | | (162935) | 18
| Mr Eric Forth (Bromley & Chislehurst):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) emigrants left and (b) immigrants entered the UK in each year since 2000. | | (163053) | 19
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to produce the e-business strategy for (a) HM Customs and Excise and (b) the Public Record Office. | | (162811) | 20
| Mr David Heath (Somerton & Frome):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions the National Asset Register has been published since November 1997. | | (162865) | 21
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the latest death rate figures for cancer are for England; and what they were in 1996-97. | | (162770) | 22
N | Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of real personal disposable income was in Greater London in each year since 1980; and what the percentage change was in each year compared with the previous year. | | (163062) | 23
N | Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many deaths in people over 60 in each year since 1997 in Greater London were due to (a) cancer, (b) coronary heart disease and (c) falls. | | (163072) | 24
| Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of the (a) preparation and (b) distribution of the What the Pre-Budget Report Means For series of documents specific to each English region. | | (162816) | 25
N | Mrs Jackie Lawrence (Preseli Pembrokeshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what quantity of (a) soya and (b) maize gluten was imported for animal feed in each of the last five years; and which companies were the main importers in each case. | | (162620) | 26
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162749) | 27
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162850) | 28
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many same-sex couple households there are in England and Wales according to the 2001 Census; and how many same-sex couple households there are in Great Britain according to the Labour Force Survey. | | (163070) | 29
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households in England and Wales contain two or more persons, excluding students, who do not see themselves as a couple, according to the 2001 Census; how many people are in such households; how many people there are in such households where both are pensioners; and how many people in such households he estimates are related to each other. | | (163071) | 30
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what standards for loft and cavity wall insulation will apply for qualification under the Landlord's Energy Saving Allowance. | | (162956) | 31
| Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects to complete his consultation on biofuels; whom he plans to consult; and how the consultation will be conducted. | | (163043) | 32
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fraudulent claims have been made for the childcare element of the working tax credit in each year since 2002. | | (163145) | 33
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Services Industry on the orphans' funds held in respect of unclaimed matured policies. | | (163168) | 34
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total level of tax raised was per head of population for each current EU country for the last year for which figures are available, taking into account all sources of taxation and National Insurance and equivalent revenue. | | (162870) | 35
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the occasions since December 2001 on which he met the Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority. | | (163123) | 36
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was collected from the (a) import and (b) sale of bicycles in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) country of origin and (ii) number of machines in each case. | | (163124) | 37
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the level and nature of taxes and other charges made by the Government relating to the (a) import and (b) sale of bicycles in the UK. | | (163125) | 38
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, according to the 2001 Census return, which 10 constituencies had the highest proportion of non-white population; what those proportions were; what proportion of the population indicated English or similar in the ethnicity question in (a) England and (b) each constituency; what proportion of the population lives in a mobile home in (i) England and (ii) each constituency; and what proportion of the population travels to work by Other Means in (A) England and (B) each constituency. | | (162763) | 39
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will announce the name of the next Chairman of the Inland Revenue. | | (162709) | 40
| Tony Wright (Cannock Chase):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library the guidance provided to Departments on how they should report progress and achievement against their public service agreement targets. | | (162930) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 41
| Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make a statement on the findings of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing of Legal Services regarding the level of solicitor involvement in the provision of publicly funded legal services since the introduction of the Community Legal Service. | | (163303) | 42
| Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing of Legal Services. | | (163304) | 43
| Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will publish the findings of the Review of Supply, Demand and Purchasing of Legal Services. | | (163305) | 44
| Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many people have been helped by the Community Legal Service in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02 and (c) 2002-03. | | (163306) | 45
N | Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether the Lord Chancellor has received a request to appear before the relevant committee in the Scottish Parliament to discuss the proposals for a UK supreme court. | | (162631) | 46
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what his estimate is of total expenditure by the Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162748) | 47
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many press officers were employed in the Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162858) | 48
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans he has to review the ease of access to magistrates' courts for rural communities. | | (162877) | 49
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department and its predecessor in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163246) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 50
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 15th March, Official Report, columns 57-8W, on television ownership, what estimates her Department has made of the number of United Kingdom households that do not own a television in each of the last 10 years. | | (163307) | 51
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications for Lottery money have been made since the introduction of the online facility; and how many of these were made online. | | (162812) | 52
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what grants were made available to (a) the Greater London Authority and (b) each London borough from her Department in each of the last four financial years.
| | (163102) | 53
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the future of conservation and restoration grants to (a) English cathedrals, (b) English parish churches and (c) other religious buildings. | | (162839) | 54
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her estimate is of total expenditure by her Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if she will make a statement. | | (162753) | 55
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers were employed in her Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if she will make a statement. | | (162854) | 56
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has for regulating betting exchange. | | (163143) | 57
N | Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to improve the television signal in Mid-Sussex. | | (163042) | 58
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of Lottery funding has been spent on (a) health, (b) education and (c) environmental projects; and if she will make a statement. | | (162908) | 59
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much money from the New Opportunities Fund was allocated to (a) the West Suffolk constituency and (b) the county of Suffolk, in each year since its inception. | | (163033) | 60
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many cases of computer misuse there were in her Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163289) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 61
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent work his Department has carried out to assess the security implications for the UK of climate change; and if he will make a statement. | | (162884) | 62
| Peter Bradley (Wrekin, The):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an announcement on the future of the Future Rapid Effects System before the Easter Recess. | | (162772) | 63
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27th February, from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions, Official Report, column 584W, on direct payment, how many (a) Post Office Card Accounts and (b) bank or building society accounts have (i) been requested for and (ii) are receiving payments of war pensions, broken down by region. | | (162735) | 64
| Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the initial achievements of (a) the Provisional Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e-Sharif and (b) the other provisional reconstruction teams. | | (162966) | 65
| Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to expand the mandate of the provisional reconstruction teams in Afghanistan to enable them to respond to (a) human rights abuses, (b) factional clashes and (c) drugs production. | | (162967) | 66
| Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a decision has been made on the dispoal of (a) Mk.7 and (b) L3A1 anti-vehicle mines. | | (163207) | 67
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the basis was of the decision to decommission HMS Ark Royal in 2013. | | (162805) | 68
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the basis was of the decision to decommission HMS Triumph 12 months before its refit was due to commence; and what functions the ship will undertake prior to decommissioning. | | (162806) | 69
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16th September 2003, Official Report, column 704W, on Deepcut and Catterick Barracks, with reference to the conclusion of the investigations by Surrey Police, if he will order an independent inquiry into the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch; and if he will make a statement. | | (163146) | 70
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15th October 2003, Official Report, column 244W, on Iraq, with reference to the conclusion of the Navy Board of Inquiry into the Death of Marine Maddison, if he will order an independent inquiry into the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch; and if he will make a statement. | | (163147) | 71
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14th October 2003, Official Report, column 317W, on Army Personnel (self-harm), if he will make a statement on progress in the collection and analysis of the existing information on incidents of deliberate self-harm in the army. | | (163148) | 72
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what factors underlay the decision of his Department to claim, originally, that the death of Marine Maddison was caused through enemy action; at what level the decision was made to support and publicise this claim; and if he will make a statement. | | (163167) | 73
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to make public the report of the Special Investigation Branch into the deaths of six members of the Royal Military Police killed in Iraq in June 2003. | | (163218) | 74
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to produce his Department's e-business strategy. | | (162813) | 75
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Bowman radio system will be fully operational; and if he will make a statement. | | (162838) | 76
| Mr Robert Key (Salisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which private sector companies are training Army personnel to use Bowman radios; and what the value of the contract is. | | (162840) | 77
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162762) | 78
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162843) | 79
N | Adam Price (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 20th January, Official Report, column 1123W, when he will write to the honourable Member for Camarthen East and Dinefwr in relation to the extra-territorial applicability of the European Convention on Human Rights. | | (162684) | 80
N | Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service and (b) civilian personnel were employed at the United Kingdom Land Command headquarters in Wilton (i) in 2000, (ii) in 2001, (iii) in 2002 and (iv) at the latest available date. | | (162569) | 81
N | Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of maintaining United Kingdom Land Command headquarters at Wilton is for 2003-04. | | (162570) | 82
N | Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many troops were under the command of UK Land Command in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003. | | (162571) | 83
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Bulwark will enter service. | | (162950) | 84
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what engine problems have been experienced by HMS Albion; and if he will make a statement. | | (162951) | 85
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Iraqi security personnel have been trained by British forces; and how many Iraqi army personnel are operational in the British sector of control. | | (162952) | 86
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons HMS Triumph is being laid up prior to her refit; and for how long the vessel will have been laid up before refit work commences. | | (162953) | 87
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many departmental personnel are involved in communications activities for the (a) Naval Service, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force. | | (162960) | 88
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is planned that Royal Navy fisheries protection vessels will operate under the control of the Fisheries Control Agency; and if he will make a statement. | | (162964) | 89
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel, and from which service, were involved in the Joint Force Harrier study group in 2001. | | (162965) | 90
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the operational status is of HMS Ark Royal; and whether she is being put out into extended readiness. | | (162974) | 91
| Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy aircraft carriers are operational. | | (162978) | 92
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Ministry of Defence civilian personnel and (b) servicemen and women were employed in bases and establishments in Essex (i) in 1992, (ii) in 1997 and (iii) on the latest available date. | | (162873) | 93
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to promote the establishment of a memorial to the UK's post-1945 National Servicemen. | | (162874) | 94
N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department intends to remove its compulsory retirement age of 60. | | (162902) | 95
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163248) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 96
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his policy is in respect of the removal of aggregates from the median deep section of the English Channel. | | (162900) | 97
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what environmental criteria he requires to be met before authorising the removal of aggregates from the sea bed. | | (162901) | 98
| Mr Bob Blizzard (Waveney):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will amend the Approved Inspector Regulations 2000, to allow private practice building regulation control companies other than the National House Building Confederation to control the construction of dwellings for sale or rent. | | (163240) | 99
| Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what investment his Department (a) has allocated and (b) plans to allocate to increase the supply of affordable housing in Sutton in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency. | | (162832) | 100
| Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what house building targets there have been for Sutton since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement. | | (162833) | 101
| Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will identify the two sites referred to in the London Leyton area masterplan for which £150,000 growth area funding has been provided. | | (162727) | 102
| Matthew Green (Ludlow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what average percentage of the total expenditure of (a) county, (b) district, (c) metropolitan and (d) London authorities was spent on the Local Government Pension Scheme in the last year for which figures are available. | | (162716) | 103
| Matthew Green (Ludlow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, on how many occasions he has rejected a local authority's application to introduce a houses in multiple occupation control registration scheme which did not comply with the model scheme requirements. | | (162717) | 104
| Matthew Green (Ludlow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of houses in multiple occupation with three or more storeys which have four or fewer occupants. | | (162718) | 105
| Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what guidance he gives to local authorities on the approval of requests for extensions to domestic residences. | | (162803) | 106
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he last reviewed the disciplinary process for local government statutory officers; and if he will make a statement. | | (162879) | 107
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many local government statutory officers have been (a) suspended and (b) dismissed in each year since the current disciplinary processes were enacted; and if he will make a statement. | | (162886) | 108
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, under what circumstances a local government statutory officer can be (a) suspended and (b) dismissed; and if he will make a statement. | | (162887) | 109
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the (a) average and (b) longest elapsed times between initiation of the disciplinary process and (i) suspension and (ii) dismissal in cases involving local government statutory officers has been since the current regulations were enacted; and if he will make a statement. | | (162888) | 110
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162755) | 111
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162851) | 112
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the safety net on losses on benefit subsidy is for Harrogate Borough Council in financial year 2004-05. | | (163039) | 113
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the effective grant increase to
Harrogate Borough Council is in financial year 2004-05. | | (163040) | 114
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he makes of the fulfillment by registered social landlords of promises made to tenants in large scale voluntary transfers. | | (162710) | 115
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what studies his Department is conducting into tenant satisfaction (a) in council housing, (b) in registered social landlord housing and (c) (i) before and (ii) after transfer in large scale voluntary transfers; and if he will publish the figures for tenant satisfaction. | | (162713) | 116
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how undertakings by local authorities to rehouse (a) released prisoners and (b) members of the forces released from service, together with their families, are maintained when councils transfer their housing stock to registered social landlords. | | (162766) | 117
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many tenants' ballots on housing transfer have been held since 1999; where each ballot was held; what percentage of tenants voted; and what the percentage (a) for and (b) against (i) large scale voluntary transfer and (ii) arm's length management organisation was in each case. | | (162767) | 118
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what central Government spending was allocated since 1999, and to which authorities, to (a) paying off housing debt after large scale voluntary transfer, (b) grants and payments to arm's length management organisations and (c) contributions to the cost of (i) fees, (ii) consultancies and (iii) information campaigns in ballots for transfer which had a (A) successful and (B) unsuccessful outcomes. | | (162769) | 119
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he has taken to consult council tenants about the Fourth Option of allowing councils to retain and improve their council house stock. | | (162931) | 120
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what (a) surveys he has commissioned and (b) research he has evaluated about the preferences of council tenants as to whether their housing should be managed by (i) the council, (ii) registered social landlords and (iii) arm's length management organisations. | | (162932) | 121
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what consultations he has held with (a) councils and (b) the Local Government Association about the Fourth Option of allowing councils to retain and improve their council housing stock. | | (162933) | 122
| Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what percentage of tenants voted in each of the ballots on large scale voluntary transfer and arm's length management since 1999; and in each case, what the percentage voting in favour was as a proportion of the total number of tenants eligible. | | (162934) | 123
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if the Government will ensure that firemen have adequate insurance cover for (a) themselves and (b) their families against the risk of being injured or killed as a result of responding to a terrorist attack. | | (163119) | 124
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will amend the General Permitted Development Order 1995, section 17 (A), to bring telecommunications masts and base stations erected on land owned by Network Rail into the full local authority planning process. | | (163037) | 125
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many cases of computer misuse there were in (a) the predecessors to his Department in each year between 1997 and 2000 and (b) his Department in 2003, broken down by each category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163197) | 126
N | Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the undertaking given during his visit to the Airbus factory in Broughton, Flintshire on 5th March to ensure that permission is granted for the Dee Estuary to be dredged. | | (162685) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 127
| Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many pupils in maintained schools he estimates were studying one or more modern foreign languages at key stage two in each of the last five years. | | (163133) | 128
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what budget for special education needs provision has been allocated to mainstream schools in Stroud for pupils with moderate learning difficulties since the announcement to close Bownham Park special school. | | (162741) | 129
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether he plans to ringfence budgets for schools for in-service training purposes following the ending of specific support under the Standards Fund. | | (162742) | 130
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teaching assistants there were in schools in Stroud in each of the last seven years for which figures are available. | | (162743) | 131
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of teachers in Stroud have received computer training. | | (162744) | 132
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of pupils in Stroud reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years. | | (162819) | 133
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of 11-year old pupils in Stroud reached level four in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the last seven years. | | (162820) | 134
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of 15 and 16 year-olds in Stroud achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C or GNVQ in each of the last seven years. | | (162821) | 135
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of 16-19 year olds in Stroud achieved two A level passes or equivalent in each of the last seven years. | | (162822) | 136
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of 18 and 19 year olds in Stroud achieved university entry in each of the last seven years. | | (162823) | 137
N | Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, within which age ranges a young child is classified as (a) a baby and (b) an infant for official purposes. | | (162802) | 138
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what recent guidance the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has issued on the titles of courses. | | (162677) | 139
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the Index for Multiple Deprivation is for each local education authority. | | (162678) | 140
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what criteria are used to determine the level of deprivation used in calculating per pupil funding. | | (162679) | 141
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment has been made of the reasons for the change in teacher numbers in special schools between 2001 and 2002. | | (162680) | 142
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much funding was made available for adult learning in further education colleges in Greater London in each year since 1997.
| | (163066) | 143
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training there were in Greater London in each month since the Connexions service was established, broken down by borough. | | (163067) | 144
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much money was spent on school buildings in Greater London in each year since 1997, broken down by borough.
| | (163068) | 145
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people attended university from Greater London in each year since 1996, broken down by local education authority.
| | (163069) | 146
N | Alan Keen (Feltham & Heston):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been under the care of the London Borough of Hounslow since 1998; and how many in that time left care having reached 18 years of age. | | (162501) | 147
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162754) | 148
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162856) | 149
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many pre-school places were available in each year since 1997 in (a) the state sector and (b) the private sector. | | (163137) | 150
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many pre-school childcare places have been created in deprived areas in each year since 1997. | | (163139) | 151
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many playgroup places were available in each year since 1997. | | (163141) | 152
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the overall operating and running costs, including employee salaries, of each Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership in each local education authority were, in each year since 1998. | | (163142) | 153
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will publish the representations he has received from the National Day Nurseries Association on the financial viability of the operation of the nursery education grant scheme for three and four year olds by private providers; and if he will make a statement. | | (162867) | 154
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what recent representations he has received regarding teachers' pensions; and if he will make a statement. | | (162872) | 155
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children attended severe learning disability special schools in each of the last five years. | | (162909) | 156
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of children with parents who have learning disabilities were taken into care in (a) 1992, (b) 1997 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. | | (162911) | 157
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children attended moderate learning difficulty special schools in each of the last five years. | | (163112) | 158
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make it his policy to ensure that funds made available to (a) private and (b) local education authority nursery education and care providers are (i) ring-fenced and (ii) passed in their entirety to providers; and if he will make a statement. | | (163113) | 159
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the schools in West Suffolk which ran a budget deficit in the year ended 31st March 2003; and how much this deficit was for each school. | | (163034) | 160
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools in the West Suffolk constituency have benefited from the Out of School Hours Learning Programme. | | (163035) | 161
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what financial provisions have been made for those schools who wish to continue the after school activities that have come about from the Out of School Hours Learning Programme once funding from the programme ends. | | (163036) | 162
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what grants he has paid to the Isle of Wight Youth Trust, Wight2BHeard, in each of the last three years; and under what programme. | | (162764) | 163
| Claire Ward (Watford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he plans to extend the Sure Start scheme to Watford constituency. | | (162907) | 164
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163276) | 165
N | Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much has been spent on UKeU; and what discussions took place between UKeU and the Open University before it was launched. | | (162513) | 166
N | Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students have enrolled in UKeU since it was launched; and what the average cost has been of educating each student. | | (162514) | 167
N | Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will merge UKeU with the Open University. | | (162515) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 168
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to her European counterparts on a common European approach to the monitoring of toxins in shellfish; and if she will make a statement. | | (163234) | 169
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many shellfish beds have been recommended for closure since 2001, due to the monitoring of toxins in shellfish producing atypical results; and if she will make a statement. | | (163235) | 170
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Food Standards Agency to minimise shellfish bed closures due to atypical positive results. | | (163236) | 171
| Mr David Atkinson (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to re-examine policy on the flood protection for mobile homes in flood risk areas, with particular reference to assessment of possible benefits arising from raising the level of these homes; and if she will make a statement. | | (163219) | 172
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason she did not announce the publication of the 4th Annual Report on UK Progress Towards Sustainable Development by means of a oral statement to the House. | | (162881) | 173
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list her official engagements for the two months period commencing 15th March. | | (162882) | 174
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the W.S. Atkins' research into the scale and problems of private sewers. | | (162889) | 175
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the steps taken since the end of the consultation period on the scale and problem of private sewers and drains in England and Wales. | | (162890) | 176
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the total amount of solid waste which entered the sewage network in England and Wales in 2003, broken down by (a) household and (b) other sources. | | (162891) | 177
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of flooding have occurred in the last three years where raw sewage was involved in the contamination of people's homes and property; and if she will make a statement. | | (162892) | 178
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the population in England and Wales has access to (a) mains sewage systems, (b) unadopted sewers, (c) private sewers and (d) septic tanks, broken down by local authority. | | (162895) | 179
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the (a) cost and (b) environmental impact per volume of sewerage from (i) main sewers, (ii) unadopted sewers, (iii) private sewers, (iv) septic tanks and (v) other non-sewer network-based systems for sewerage disposal; and if she will make a statement. | | (162896) | 180
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the current state of sewerage infrastructure, including the (a) physical extent of the maintenance and repair backlog and (b) expected cost of these repairs. | | (162897) | 181
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help preserve the Sumatran tiger. | | (162898) | 182
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents in the last year for which figures are available of (a) marine pollution and (b) coastal pollution have resulted in (i) court actions and (ii) fines; and what the nature and level of conviction and financial penalty was in each case. | | (162899) | 183
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the net environmental effect that would flow from tightening drinking water standards further, with particular reference to energy consumption by water companies. | | (163055) | 184
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the anticipated funds to be generated through the retail compliance scheme under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive will be distributed in order to develop an adequate collection infrastructure across the UK. | | (163093) | 185
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors underlie her decision to ringfence £5 million of the proposed retail fund for local authority collection infrastructure under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. | | (163094) | 186
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department intends to (a) encourage reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment and (b) maintain the role of charity organisations in the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment. | | (163095) | 187
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will issue guidance to businesses to focus waste collection efforts where this delivers maximum economic and environmental benefit. | | (163096) | 188
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department intends to protect existing retail from take-back activities and reduce the likelihood of them being withdrawn, with particular reference to white goods, under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. | | (163097) | 189
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department expects to provide definitive information to businesses with duties under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive on its scope across equipment categories. | | (163098) | 190
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the regulating authorities will ensure that the visible fee shown on consumer prices represents only the collection, treatment and disposal costs incurred by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. | | (163099) | 191
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to (a) enable compliance and (b) enforce the regulations in the case of internet and mail order sellers when they fall under the scope of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. | | (163100) | 192
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of other legislation which will interact with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, with specific reference to (a) the Batteries Directive and (b) the impending changes to the UK's hazardous waste classification and licensing system. | | (163101) | 193
N | Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of pesticide use on the United Kingdom's bee population; and if she will make a statement. | | (161483) | 194
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will extend the period of consultation on motor propelled vehicles and rights of way. | | (162926) | 195
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pieces of correspondence she received on motor propelled vehicles and rights of way when the consultation period finishes. | | (162927) | 196
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many rod fishing licence applications have been made since the introduction of the online facility; and how many of these were made online. | | (162809) | 197
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will reply to the letter from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 5th February, with regard to Ms C. Holden. | | (163300) | 198
| Mrs Jackie Lawrence (Preseli Pembrokeshire):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 in accordance with 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. | | (162923) | 199
| Mrs Jackie Lawrence (Preseli Pembrokeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ensure that, if Chardon LL is placed on the National Seeds Register, it will only be grown in the UK in the future with a herbicide regime exactly the same as that employed in the farm-scale evaluation programme. | | (162924) | 200
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate is of total expenditure by her Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if she will make a statement. | | (162760) | 201
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many press officers were employed in her Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if she will make a statement. | | (162852) | 202
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on the elements of a green landlord scheme; and if she will make a statement. | | (162955) | 203
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Department of Transport on the implications of the Ten Year Transport Plan for the Government's air quality strategy; and if she will make a statement. | | (162957) | 204
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contribution her Department has made to the forthcoming Biofuels Directive consultation paper. | | (162958) | 205
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on the development of a biofuels obligation for the transport sector. | | (162959) | 206
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was informed of the recommendation of Professor David Beever that no new maize variety should be placed upon the National Seeds Register unless it achieves a whole-plant target of 32 per cent. | | (163169) | 207
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she was informed that (a) Liberty on its own had proved ineffective as a herbicide used with GMHT fodder maize crops in the United States, and (b) that to overcome this problem Bayer has been promoting the use of Liberty/atrazine mix since the spring of 2001. | | (163170) | 208
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action she has taken to ensure that the Reading University cattle feeding studies involving Chardon LL fodder maize will be scientifically robust and independent of (a) Government and (b) GM crop technology companies. | | (163171) | 209
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the Norwegian research on the safety of the CaMV promoter used in Chardon LL transgenic insert. | | (163205) | 210
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the involvement of Grainseed in the conduct of the National List trials for Chardon LL in 1998 and 1999, on behalf of the British Plant Breeders Society, and their impact on the research findings. | | (163206) | 211
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she gave consent for the harvested Chardon LL forage maize from FSE sites to be taken off-site and used in cattle feeding studies at the Reading University Centre for Dairy Research; and what conditions were attached to that consent. | | (163212) | 212
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence she has collated, in the absence of ruminant feeding studies, that Chardon LL has added value for cultivation and use in the United Kingdom. | | (163213) | 213
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Chardon LL cattle feeding studies at Reading University has cost public funds. | | (163214) | 214
| Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what results she has obtained from the Chardon LL cattle feeding studies completed at the Reading University Centre for Dairy Research in 2002. | | (163215) | 215
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects real total income from farming to return to the level of 1995; and if she will make a statement. | | (162876) | 216
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action she proposes to take to maintain the growth in net farm income for (a) dairy, (b) cereals, (c) cattle and sheep (less favoured areas) and (d) cattle and sheep (lowland); and when she expects each to reach, in real terms, the levels of 1995-96. | | (162878) | 217
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her most recent assessment is of the effect of the Common Agricultural Policy on the cost of the average family's weekly food purchases. | | (162949) | 218
| Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many businesses in (a) Devon and (b) Cornwall are owed money by the Department for carrying out work during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001; how much is owed for (i) Devon and (ii) Cornwall; and what the largest amount owing to each business is. | | (162714) | 219
| Dr Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Risk Assessment for Strategic Planning database held by the Environment Agency has been updated to take account of the performance of demountable flood defences in Bewdley; and when insurers will receive this data. | | (163111) | 220
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how long it takes for disposable nappies to decompose in landfill sites; and what percentage of the waste going to landfill this represents. | | (161667) | 221
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she will take to reduce the environmental impact of the disposal of disposable nappies. | | (161668) | 222
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what restrictions are placed on waste disposal authorities in relation to the disposal in landfill sites of raw sewage from (a) disposable nappies and (b) other sources. | | (161669) | 223
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the total number of disposable nappies that entered the household waste stream in 2003; and what percentage of household waste this constituted. | | (161670) | 224
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussion she has had with local authorities on the (a) working and (b) effectiveness of the Water UK protocol on sewer baiting for rats; and if she will make a statement. | | (162399) | 225
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy to improve the liaison between local authorities and sewerage undertakers to control the rat population in sewers and drains more effectively. | | (162400) | 226
| Claire Ward (Watford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the UK Government's position on reform of the EU sugar regime. | | (162903) | 227
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of computer misuse there were in her Department in 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163253) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 228
| Mr David Atkinson (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) petitions were received and (b) cases were dealt with by the European Court of Human Rights in the latest year for which figures are available; and how many and what percentage of each total related to each Council of Europe Member State. | | (162768) | 229
| Mr David Atkinson (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's assessment is of progress made by the Russian Federation in meeting the commitments and obligations it entered into upon accession to the Council of Europe; what his Department's assessment is of areas on which further progress should be made; and if he will make a statement. | | (163220) | 230
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent work his Department has carried out to assess the international security implications of climate change; and if he will make a statement. | | (162885) | 231
| Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Interim Election Commission, the Joint Electoral Coordination Office and the Coalition intend to address the effects of (a) cultural barriers to female participation, (b) low literacy rates and (c) the current number of electoral registration offices outside Kabul in ensuring full voter registration and participation in Afghanistan. | | (162928) | 232
| Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people have so far been recruited to (a) the armed forces and (b) the police force in Afghanistan; how many of these recruits to the Afghan armed forces and police force have been retained (i) during the training and (ii) after the training has been completed; and how he intends to improve the retention of new recruits to the Afghan armed forces and police force. | | (162939) | 233
| Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policies are in place to prevent violence targeted against humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan. | | (162968) | 234
N | Tony Cunningham (Workington):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will propose action to the UN Security Council to resolve the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. | | (162904) | 235
| Mr Barry Gardiner (Brent North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote the Convention on the Prohibition on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines. | | (163208) | 236
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likely impact on transparency and fairness of providing international observers at forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in (a) South Africa, (b) Malawi, (c) the Philippines, (d) Indonesia, (e) Botswana, (f) Ireland, (g) Niger, (h) the United States of America, (i) Namibia, (j) Malaysia, (k) Mozambique, (l) Sudan and (m) Ghana; and if he will make a statement. | | (163232) | 237
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will reply to the letter from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 16th February, with regard to Irene Clare Garner. | | (163302) | 238
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162750) | 239
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162849) | 240
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the running cost of Lancaster House was in the last year for which figures are available. | | (163017) | 241
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost of (a) maintaining and (b) holding publicly funded functions at Lancaster House was in each of the last five years. | | (163018) | 242
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times Lancaster House was used for private functions in each of the last five years; and what revenue was brought in as a result. | | (163019) | 243
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times Lancaster House was used by his Department for functions in each of the last five years. | | (163020) | 244
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's policy is on private hire of Lancaster House. | | (163021) | 245
| Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what policy response the Government will make to the proposals by the Turkish authorities in the North of Cyprus seeking further derogations to the EU acquis as a precondition to their agreement to a settlement in Cyprus; whether the Government has communicated the proposals to the Government of Turkey; and if he will make a statement. | | (163244) | 246
| Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) a unity settlement and (b) an end to the occupation of Cyprus by Turkish armed forces is a prerequisite to advancing Turkey's EU candidacy status; and if he will make a statement. | | (163245) | 247
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from the People's Republic of China concerning Her Majesty's Government's policy towards Taiwan; and if he will make a statement. | | (163204) | 248
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts regarding the potential accession to the EU by Turkey. | | (163144) | 249
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received about the development of an airport on St. Helena; and if he will make a statement. | | (162912) | 250
N | Mr Michael Trend (Windsor):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department last made a statement to the House on the sovereignty of Tibet. | | (162724) | 251
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163290) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 252
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many licensed fertility clinics have failed inspection by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in each of the last five years. | | (163157) | 253
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to change the rules governing the use of eggs from aborted female foetuses in (a) licensed fertility treatments and (b) research. | | (163159) | 254
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what studies the Government has commissioned into the long-term effects of invitro fertilisation on (a) women and (b) children born as a result of the treatment. | | (163160) | 255
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortion clinics have failed inspection by the National Care Standards Commission in the last 10 years. | | (163161) | 256
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors employed in abortion clinics have been the subject of General Medical Council disciplinary proceedings since 1990. | | (163162) | 257
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are in place to ensure that human embryos created under a licence issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority are not allowed to develop beyond the 14-day statutory time limit. | | (163163) | 258
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what safeguards are in place to ensure that abortions performed under section 1(1)(a) of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) take place within the 24-week time limit. | | (163164) | 259
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to require licensed fertility clinics to reimburse the NHS for the cost of treatment arising from multiple births following fertility treatment. | | (163230) | 260
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have declared opposition to destructive embryo research. | | (163231) | 261
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the cost of the pharmaceutical management of Parkinson's disease in England. | | (162566) | 262
N | Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total NHS budget allocated to substance misuse treatment programmes for (a) drugs and (b) alcohol is in 2003-04. | | (162615) | 263
N | Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many alcohol treatment centres there are (a) in the UK and (b) the North West; and what the budget is for each. | | (162616) | 264
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many local authorities had incurred fines following the introduction of the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc) Act 2003, at the latest available date; how much the fines for each local authority have been since the Act came into force; what the total amount of fines incurred by local authorities is; and if he will make a statement. | | (162617) | 265
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on measures he intends to take to ensure that the registered nursing care contribution bands reflect increases in nursing costs. | | (162618) | 266
N | Mr David Chaytor (Bury North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students completed their studies in medicine at each university in each of the last six years; and how many in each year chose not to continue their training at hospitals within the United Kingdom. | | (161482) | 267
N | Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the total amount of funding provided for diabetes services has been allocated to paediatric diabetes services in (a) Gedling, (b) Broxtowe, (c) Rushcliffe, (d) Nottingham City South and (e) Melton, Rutland and Harborough Primary Care Trusts in the last year; and what amounts those proportions were. | | (162398) | 268
N | Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of prescribing heroin substitutes. | | (162519) | 269
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to (a) extend the National Service Framework to cover cardiac arrhythmias and (b) set targets for their diagnosis and treatment. | | (162804) | 270
| Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make representations to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence that its appraisal of pacemakers (a) examines utilisation rates and (b) takes into account the views of the British Cardiac Society. | | (162807) | 271
N | Mr David Heathcoat-Amory (Wells):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will reply to the Question tabled by the honourable Member for Wells on 12th February, ref 155796. | | (162500) | 272
| Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent per capita on NHS dentistry in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997; and what spending is projected for 2004. | | (162837) | 273
| Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent per capita by the NHS in South Tyneside in each year since 1997; and what spending is projected for 2004. | | (162864) | 274
| Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear, (d) the North East and (e) England are not registered with a dentist. | | (162871) | 275
| Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many general practitioners per head of population there were in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear, (d) the North East and (e) England in each year since 1997. | | (162917) | 276
| Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dentists per head of population there were in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear, (d) the North East and (e) England in each year since 1997. | | (162925) | 277
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what informaton and statistics he has collated about complications experienced by recipients of the St Jude silzone heart valve; and if he will make a statement. | | (163193) | 278
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take measures to ensure that all surviving UK recipients of the St Jude silzone heart valve are informed why these valves have been withdrawn from the market; and if he will make a statement. | | (163194) | 279
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take measures to ensure that all UK recipients of the St Jude silzone heart valve are encouraged to contact for advice the hospitals and surgeons where and by whom they were fitted with these valves; and if he will make a statement. | | (163195) | 280
| Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what communication his Department has had with relevant authorities in the Irish Republic regarding the implications for British and Irish citizens of the withdrawal from the market of the St Jude silzone heart valve; and if he will make a statement. | | (163196) | 281
| Mr Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will reply to the letter from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 12th February, with regard to Dr D. W. Bishop. | | (163301) | 282
| Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of Ebiox handrub and handwash products as part of a programme of infection control in hospitals; and what advice he has issued concerning their use. | | (163149) | 283
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162757) | 284
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162845) | 285
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason inspection reports on care homes by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), together with subsequent responses by care home owners, are not published in full on the NCSC website. | | (162920) | 286
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new arrangements are in place for patient forums to inspect care homes. | | (162921) | 287
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on childcare provision for NHS staff. | | (162997) | 288
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were resident in mental hospitals or mental institutions in each of the last five years. | | (163014) | 289
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were outpatients affiliated to a mental hospital or mental institution in each of the last five years. | | (163015) | 290
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health trusts have fully established women-only day care facilities. | | (163044) | 291
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to publish the framework document for PET scanners.
| | (163056) | 292
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how measures included in the initiative on choice in the NHS will benefit deaf people. | | (163057) | 293
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many episodes of mental health treatment for minors took place in each of the last five years. | | (163058) | 294
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children of NHS staff use NHS-provided childcare facilities. | | (163059) | 295
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many general practitioners' surgeries take advantage of NHS childcare provisions.
| | (163085) | 296
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the differentials between rates paid by local authorities for residents in local authority care homes and those paid for residents in private care homes in the same local authority area. | | (163041) | 297
N | Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the Government has not signed the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. | | (162705) | 298
| Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much joint training in chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear duties (a) has been and (b) is being carried out between ambulance services and fire and rescue services. | | (162706) | 299
| Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level of decontamination training has been given to ambulance crews. | | (162707) | 300
| Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of ambulance crews have been trained in the use of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear protective equipment. | | (162719) | 301
| Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what type of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear protective equipment has been given to ambulance crews. | | (162720) | 302
| Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on primary care trust provision of mental health services. | | (163222) | 303
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is for the rehabilitation of elderly people; and if he will make a statement. | | (162913) | 304
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many general practitioners there are per head of population in each of the primary care trusts within the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority. | | (163032) | 305
| Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what vaccines used in the UK contain Thimerosal. | | (162711) | 306
| Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the use of Thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines was discontinued in the UK. | | (162712) | 307
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163250) | 308
| Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in arranging a meeting between healthcare professionals and the alcohol industry to discuss health warnings on alcohol products. | | (162715) | 309
N | Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which overseas countries the NHS has advertised for staff to work in the UK in the last five years.
| | (163103) | 310
N | Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget is for recruitment advertising in foreign newspapers for NHS staff; and how many NHS trusts are paying for recruitment advertisements in such newspapers.
| | (163104) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 311
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many letters were addressed to the Minister of State (Citizenship, Immigration and Counter-Terrorism) from Right honourable and honourable Members in each month since he took office; and how many were replied to by (a) the Minister and (b) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Race Equality, Community Policy and Civil Renewal). | | (163121) | 312
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many letters his Department received from the Right honourable and honourable Members in each month (a) between May 1997 and June 2001 and (b) since June 2001. | | (163122) | 313
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he made of the consistency with international law of the interrogation methods deployed by the US at Guantanamo Bay before sanctioning the involvement of MI5 in that process. | | (162883) | 314
N | Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget allocated to youth offending teams is for (a) drugs and (b) alcohol programmes in 2003-04. | | (162612) | 315
N | Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the statistical base is for the allocation of resources to youth offending teams for (a) drug and (b) alcohol programmes. | | (162613) | 316
N | Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget allocated to substance misuse programmes for (a) drugs and (b) alcohol is in 2003-04. | | (162614) | 317
N | Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the question from the honourable Member for West Chelmsford tabled on 2nd February, reference 152929; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the time taken to respond to the honourable Member's letter of 27th August on behalf of his constituent Mrs S. Hawkard. | | (162397) | 318
N | Mrs Helen Clark (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on how decisions are taken to allocate those accused of sex offences to the bail hostel in Peterborough. | | (162539) | 319
N | Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on the admissibility of (a) hearsay evidence and (b) written evidence from abroad in relation to prosecutions under anti-terrorism legislation. | | (162610) | 320
| Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for implementing the Private Security Act 2001. | | (163221) | 321
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what responses he has received to the consultation on the setting up of the National Offender Management Service. | | (162817) | 322
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) the NHS, (c) local authorities and (d) the Local Government Association on the setting up of the National Offender Management Service. | | (162818) | 323
N | Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Scottish Ministers on the expansion of Dungavel removal centre. | | (162630) | 324
N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the decision was made to move women prisoners from (a) Winchester and (b) Edmunds Hill prisons; how many women prisoners are to be moved; and to which prisons they are being sent. | | (162626) | 325
N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners were locked into mobile cells in (a) Northampton, (b) Corby and (c) Wellingborough in each of the last two weeks. | | (162627) | 326
N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces are on standby for Operation Safeguard. | | (162628) | 327
N | Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the firms which are being invited to bid to (a) build and (b) run prisons. | | (162629) | 328
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many minor crimes have been reported using the online facility since its introduction. | | (162810) | 329
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to support the recruitment of special constables. | | (162745) | 330
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action he plans to take to tackle alcohol misuse in Greater London. | | (163063) | 331
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that targets for improving the performance of the criminal justice system in Greater London are met. | | (163075) | 332
N | Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many drugs testing and treatment orders were issued in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997. | | (163092) | 333
| Sir Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the asylum appeals of (a) Fariborz Gravindi, (b) Mokhtar Haydary and (c) Faroq Haidari were dismissed; under what circumstances they would be allowed to remain in the UK; and what representations he has received on their cases. | | (163129) | 334
| Sir Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the treatment of Kurdish asylum seekers returned to Iran. | | (163131) | 335
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162751) | 336
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162848) | 337
N | Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how he will ensure that victims' views are taken into account by the criminal justice system when he sets sentencing guidelines. | | (162517) | 338
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will place in the Library the business case for the introduction of the National Offender Management Service. | | (163023) | 339
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what factors were taken into account when formulating the timetable for the introduction of the National Offender Management Service. | | (163024) | 340
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there will be a Gateway Review during the development of the National Offender Management Service. | | (163025) | 341
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons there was no three month consultation period prior to the announcement of plans to introduce the National Offender Management Service. | | (163026) | 342
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what structure will be put in place for joint working on public protection between the Probation Service and the police under the new National Offender Management Service structure. | | (163027) | 343
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact the National Offender Management Service is likely to have on cooperation between the prison and probation services. | | (163028) | 344
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects to publish legislation to introduce a National Offender Management Service; and whether he plans for it to be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny. | | (163105) | 345
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which bodies his Department consulted prior to the publication of Reducing Crime - Changing Lives. | | (163106) | 346
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which bodies his Department has consulted on the proposals for a National Offender Management Service. | | (163107) | 347
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact on the Probation Service of its April 2001 reorganisation. | | (163108) | 348
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of the creation of the National Offender Management Service on the employment status of staff; and what steps his Department has taken to inform staff of proposed changes. | | (163109) | 349
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 17th March, Official Report, columns 350-1W, on school buses (sex offenders), if he will list the instances in which Criminal Records Bureau checks have been made mandatory under legislation other than the Police Act 1997. | | (163243) | 350
| Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Bichard Inquiry; and what costs have been incurred by public bodies which have been required to be represented to date. | | (162702) | 351
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were sentenced for (a) burglary, (b) assault, (c) actual bodily harm, (d) grievous bodily harm and (e) drug related offences in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was. | | (163237) | 352
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were sentenced in England and Wales for (a) theft and (b) handling stolen goods in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was. | | (163238) | 353
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were sentenced in England and Wales for (a) fraud and (b) forgery in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was. | | (163239) | 354
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many persons were sentenced in England and Wales for motoring offences, excluding those causing death or serious injury, in each of the last 10 years; how many of those received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was. | | (163242) | 355
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners on remand were (a) acquitted and (b) given a non-custodial sentence in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion each figure forms of the total prison population in each of these years. | | (163252) | 356
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of prison cells in England and Wales were equipped with a television in each of the last 10 years. | | (163277) | 357
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of prisoners in England and Wales used prison gymnasium and sports facilities in each of the last 10 years. | | (163278) | 358
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average custody rate for all recorded offences was in each of the last 10 years. | | (163279) | 359
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners in England and Wales were (a) serving a natural life tariff and (b) designated not for release in each of the last 10 years. | | (163280) | 360
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of long-term prisoners have completed a resettlement programme in each of the last 10 years. | | (163281) | 361
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of prisoners serving a sentence for (a) burglary, (b) offences of violence and (c) drug related offences have completed an offending behaviour course in each of the last 10 years. | | (163282) | 362
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of prisoners completed a course to address offending behaviour in each of the last 10 years. | | (163283) | 363
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of long-term prisoners serving a sentence for (a) burglary, (b) offences of violence and (c) drug related offences completed a resettlement programme in each of the last 10 years. | | (163284) | 364
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) sentenced prisoners and (b) remand prisoners were in employment prior to entering prison in each of the last 10 years. | | (163285) | 365
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners serving (a) short-term and (b) long-term sentences had employment upon release in each of the last 10 years. | | (163286) | 366
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) short-term and (b) long-term prisoners were released in England and Wales without overnight accommodation in each of the last 10 years. | | (163288) | 367
| Mr Francis Maude (Horsham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many first time offenders were sentenced for (a) burglary, (b) violent offences and (c) drug related offences in each of the last 10 years; what proportion received a custodial sentence; and what the average custodial sentence length was. | | (163291) | 368
| Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officers were employed at each young offenders' institution in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available; and what the planned number of officers was in each month. | | (163209) | 369
| Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) certified normal accommodation, (b) operational capacity and (c) population in each young offenders' institution was in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available. | | (163210) | 370
| Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many attacks there were on prison officers in each young offenders' institution in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available. | | (163211) | 371
| Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many juveniles in each young offenders' institution were injured by other inmates in each month from June 2003 to the most recent month for which figures are available. | | (163216) | 372
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) cost to date and (b) projected cost is of developing biometric technology for inclusion in passports, broken down by financial year; and whether any portion of the expenditure is included in the identity card set-up costs cited in his statement of 11th November 2003, Official Report, column 178. | | (163325) | 373
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to alter the monitoring regime for secure training centres; and whether each secure training centre will continue to have a full-time on-site monitor. | | (163326) | 374
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 15th March, Official Report, column 130W, on escort contractors, what the equivalent figure was for each of the last 10 years. | | (163327) | 375
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) staffing and (b) cost changes have been over the last two years of the units headed by the crime reduction advisers based in regional government offices; and what measureable benefits have accrued from the increases. | | (163328) | 376
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent so far on the development of the National Identity Register. | | (163329) | 377
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the prisons where prisoner accommodation is due to be refurbished in the next 12 months, indicating those where the work (a) is expected to proceed as planned, (b) has been brought forward and (c) has been put on hold. | | (163330) | 378
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to which countries his Department judges that asylum seekers cannot be returned for (a) human rights and (b) other reasons. | | (163331) | 379
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the expected cost of re-rolling (a) HM Prison Winchester and (b) HM Prison Edmund's Hill is; and how many additional places the changes will create for the male estate. | | (163332) | 380
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many mopeds have been purchased by the Metropolitan Police for use by police community support officers in each borough; and at what cost. | | (163333) | 381
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals have been sentenced to prison for allowing their children to play truant in each of the last 12 months. | | (163334) | 382
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many authorisations have been made under the Prisons (Alcohol Testing) Act 1997; and how many tests have been carried out. | | (163335) | 383
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for criminal records checks have been outstanding for more than three weeks, broken down by sector. | | (163336) | 384
| Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions applicant details supplied by the Criminal Records Bureau to the police have led to conviction details being matched mistakenly with an applicant. | | (163337) | 385
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants from China could not be deported in each year since 1997 because the Chinese authorities refused to take them; and if he will make a statement. | | (163198) | 386
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports sent to applicants by mail went missing in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (163203) | 387
| Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the members of the Community Development Exchange; how they are appointed, and for how long; and to whom they are accountable. | | (163029) | 388
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been prosecuted for employing illegal immigrants in each year since 1997. | | (163140) | 389
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) traffic enforcement officers, (b) traffic wardens and (c) council parking attendants were operating in each police authority area in each year since 1999-2000. | | (163130) | 390
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he had with the police regarding the combining of section 1 and section 2 firearms on the same certificate. | | (162998) | 391
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his estimate is of the (a) efficiency and (b) practicality of the current arrangements for licensing section 2 firearms. | | (162999) | 392
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information he has collated on (a) the time taken by the police and (b) the cost incurred to process (i) a firearms certificate and (ii) a shotgun certificate. | | (163000) | 393
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) qualifications and (b) experience are required by the police of officers serving in firearms licensing departments. | | (163001) | 394
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is offered (a) before and (b) during posting to firearms enquiry officers. | | (163002) | 395
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants denied section 1 and section 2 certificates have appealed to the courts against the decision of the chief officer of each constabulary in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many appeals were successful. | | (163003) | 396
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many .22 gallery rifles he estimates are in circulation in England and Wales. | | (163004) | 397
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many .22 shooting galleries he estimates there are in England and Wales. | | (163005) | 398
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) fatalities and (b) injuries were caused by the use of .22 gallery rifles in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. | | (163006) | 399
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received calling for (a) .22 gallery rifles to be licensed and (b) the introduction of (i) individual testing in the use of firearms and (ii) hunting examinations before the issue of a firearms certificate in England and Wales. | | (163007) | 400
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what studies his Department has conducted into the difference in the numbers of fatalities and injuries from firearms incidents in those countries that have (a) individual testing in the use of firearms and (b) hunting examinations and those that do not. | | (163008) | 401
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Home Office approved target shooting clubs there are in the Lancashire constabulary area. | | (163009) | 402
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants have applied to join Home Office approved target shooting clubs in each year since 1998; and how many have been successful. | | (163010) | 403
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) fatalities other than suicides and (b) injuries, were caused by single shot target pistols in each year from 1986 to 1996. | | (163011) | 404
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements he put in place to allow the pistol shooting events at the last Commonwealth Games to take place within the law. | | (163012) | 405
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many accidental (a) fatalities and (b) injuries have been caused by licensed people using (i) shotguns and (ii) rifles in the field in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. | | (163013) | 406
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to ensure the efficiency of the next round of renewals of shotgun and firearms certificates in 2004. | | (163049) | 407
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information he has collated on the plans being made by each constabulary firearms licensing department for the next round of renewals of shotgun and firearms certificates in 2004. | | (163050) | 408
| Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the safety record of shooting sports in England and Wales. | | (163110) | 409
| Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley & Golders Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Patrick Carter received advice from accountancy firms in preparing his report on managing offenders. | | (162842) | 410
| Claire Ward (Watford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many girls aged (a) 15 years, (b) 16 years and (c) 17 years are being held in prison. | | (163038) | 411
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163249) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 412
| Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much his Department has allocated to UK non-governmental organisations this year for work in (a) Brazil and (b) Bolivia; how this sum is expected to change in real terms in the future; and if he will make a statement. | | (162962) | 413
| Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which UK non-governmental organisations funded by his Department carry out work in (a) Brazil and (b) Bolivia. | | (162963) | 414
| Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the war in Iraq has affected progress towards the Millennium Development Goals of (a) halving by 2015 the number of people in Iraq who suffer from hunger, (b) halving by 2015 the number of people in Iraq without sustainable access to safe drinking water, (c) improving the mortality rate for children under five in Iraq, (d) achieving gender equality in primary education in Iraq and (e) moving towards universal youth literacy in Iraq. | | (162893) | 415
| Mr David Chidgey (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has been made of the refugee situation in (a) Zhare Dasht, (b) other camps within Afghanistan and (c) camps set up in Pakistan by refugees fleeing Afghanistan; and what support the UK is providing to (i) NGOs and (ii) the United Nations Refugee Agency to address the refugee problem. | | (162969) | 416
N | Tony Cunningham (Workington):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what help the Department is giving to Eritrea, with particular reference to measures to overcome the effects of recent conflict. | | (162905) | 417
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what definition his Department uses of civil society organisations; and where this definition is published. | | (162944) | 418
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162747) | 419
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162857) | 420
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what action he is taking to tackle malaria in sub-saharan Africa. | | (162972) | 421
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the EU's (a) humanitarian assistance and (b) international development assistance budget was in each of the last five years. | | (162938) | 422
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163287) | Questions to the Leader of the House 423
| Mr Richard Shepherd (Aldridge - Brownhills):To ask the Leader of the House, if he will list for each bill introduced in (a) Session 2001-02 and (b) Session 2002-03 (i) the number of sittings in committees, (ii) the number of knives (A) for which provision was made and (B) which took effect, (iii) the number of groups of amendments not reached because a knife took effect, (iv) the number of clauses on which the question that the clause stand part was not reached because a knife took effect, (v) for how many days each bill was considered at report stage, (vi) the number of knives (X) for which provision was made and (Y) which took effect at report stage, (vii) the number of groups of amendments not reached because a knife took effect and (viii) how long was spent in debate (1) at second reading, (2) in committee, (3) in consideration on report and (4) on third reading. | | (162841) | 424
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Leader of the House, if he will make it Government policy to ensure that (a) all petitions presented in the House are responded to by Government departments within five days and (b) where the petition requires a response from another body, it is responded to within 10 days. | | (162910) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 425
| Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total financial cost has been of investigations into the murder of (a) Mr Patrick Kelly on 10th August 1974 and (b) Mr Robert Jameson on 17th January 1974, both of Trillick. | | (162708) | 426
| David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many cattle in Northern Ireland have been re-tagged during the past two years owing to the animals losing their identification tags. | | (162801) | 427
| Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the estimated loss of revenue to the Exchequer as a result of the smuggling of illegal (a) tobacco products and (b) fuel into Northern Ireland was in each of the past five years. | | (163045) | 428
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will introduce in Northern Ireland the practice in the rest of the United Kingdom in relation to the payment of private medical treatment for prison officers injured on duty. | | (162619) | 429
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the implementation team to produce the implementation plan for the Diabetes Service Framework in Northern Ireland has been established; and if he will make a statement. | | (162725) | 430
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the implications of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. | | (162728) | 431
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what timescale has been set for the production of an implementation strategy for the Diabetes Service Framework in Northern Ireland. | | (162734) | 432
| Mr John Hume (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the capital investment by Government departments in the Laganside development in Belfast has been; and how much money has been earmarked by Government for the capitalisation of the Ilex Corporation in Derry to develop the Ministry of Defence lands. | | (162936) | 433
| Mr John Hume (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of 18 to 24 year olds in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the Foyle constituency entered paid employment within six months of completing New Deal programmes in the last 12 months for which figures are available. | | (162937) | 434
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162756) | 435
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162844) | 436
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many households in Northern Ireland contain two or more persons, excluding students, who do not see themselves as a couple, according to the 2001 Census; how many people there are in such households; how many people there are in such households where both are pensioners; and how many people he estimates there are in such households who are related. | | (163061) | 437
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many same-sex households there are in Northern Ireland according to the 2001 Census. | | (163084) | 438
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many mental health trusts in Northern Ireland have fully established women-only day care facilities. | | (163048) | 439
| Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many bed spaces are available in Northern Ireland for psychiatric patients; and if he will list the locations of these beds. | | (163217) | 440
| Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many emergency psychiatric bed spaces there are in Northern Ireland, broken down by location; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of this provision to deal with the demand. | | (163299) | 441
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what financial assistance is provided to fishermen in (a) Portavogie, (b) Ardglass and (c) Kilkeel who are involved in a tie-up-scheme to assist the Cod Recovery Programme; and if he will make a statement. | | (162918) | 442
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when a decision on the proposed £35 million development at Gocean, Killyleagh will be made; and if he will make a statement. | | (162919) | 443
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether land owned by a subsiduary of TK-ECC in Dundonald will remain zoned for industrial use only if put on the open market. | | (162922) | 444
| The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of (a) two year olds and (b) three to five year olds are registered with general dental practitioners, broken down by health board. | | (162721) | 445
| The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how far targets for the reduction of patient exemption fraud have been realised for each Northern Ireland Health Board area; and what targets have been put in place for the period beyond March. | | (162722) | 446
| The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what guidelines have been issued to each of the Northern Ireland health boards regarding the triple test for pregnant women. | | (162723) | 447
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last seven years, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163229) | Questions to the Prime Minister 448
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list the occasions since 1997 on which he met senior executives from (a) Enron and (b) British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. | | (162880) | 449
N | Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Prime Minister, what communications the Government received from the United States Administration about the legality in international law of the Iraq war; and if he will make a statement. | | (161701) | 450
N | Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Prime Minister, when the Government first formed the view that a second UN resolution was not required to ensure the legality of the Iraq war; and if he will make a statement. | | (161702) | 451
N | Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Prime Minister, whether legal advisers other than law officers of the Crown were involved in the preparation and scrutiny of the September 2002 dossier; and if he will make a statement. | | (161703) | 452
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Prime Minister, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Office on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162746) | 453
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Prime Minister, how many press officers were employed in his office in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162855) | 454
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Prime Minister, how many people resident in the constituencies of (a) Pendle, (b) Burnley, (c) Ribble Valley, (d) Hyndburn, (e) Rossendale and (f) Blackburn have received an honour in each year since 1997. | | (163201) | 455
| Phil Sawford (Kettering):To ask the Prime Minister, what plans he has to propose legislation on the issue of hunting with dogs. | | (162773) | 456
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Prime Minister, how many honours nominations have been submitted in each of the last five years. | | (162869) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland 457
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment has been made by his Department of the possible change in fees in civil cases in Scotland that may be required following the establishment of the UK Supreme Court. | | (162940) | 458
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Scottish ministers about the possible change in fees in civil cases in Scotland that may be required following the establishment of the UK Supreme Court. | | (162941) | 459
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162758) | 460
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162846) | 461
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many same-sex couple households there are in Scotland according to the 2001 Census.
| | (163064) | 462
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many households in Scotland contain two or more persons, excluding students, who do not see themselves as a couple, according to the 2001 Census; how many people there are in such households; how many people are in such households where there are pensioners; and how many people he estimates are in such households who are related to each other.
| | (163065) | 463
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department in each of the last seven years, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163228) | Questions to the Solicitor General 464
N | Sir Menzies Campbell (North East Fife):To ask the Solicitor General, which non-governmental (a) experts and (b) lawyers advised her Department on the legality of war in Iraq; how much each received in public funds; and if she will make a statement. | | (161700) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 465
N | Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the (a) businesses and (b) small businesses which she has visited in an official capacity since 1st January. | | (162765) | 466
| Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the small business support schemes funded by her Department open to new business. | | (163199) | 467
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the steps she has taken to encourage small businesses to grow in the United Kingdom. | | (163310) | 468
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to reduce the gap between male and female self-employment rates. | | (163311) | 469
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps her Department is taking to promote an enterprise culture within educational establishments. | | (163312) | 470
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people were employed in small businesses in each of the last seven years. | | (163313) | 471
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps her Department has taken to improve the start-up advice available to entrepreneurs. | | (163314) | 472
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps her Department is taking to promote entrepreneurship as a career option for graduates. | | (163315) | 473
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she has taken to reduce the barriers to start-up for small businesses. | | (163316) | 474
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the effect of the research and development tax credit on levels of investment in research and development. | | (163317) | 475
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action her Department has taken to improve access to finance for small businesses; and if she will make a statement. | | (163318) | 476
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Phoenix Development Fund on levels of enterprise in disadvantaged and under-represented groups. | | (163319) | 477
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which of the recommendations of the Cross Cutting Review of Government Services for Small Businesses have been implemented. | | (163321) | 478
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the performance of Business Link. | | (163322) | 479
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps her Department has taken to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses. | | (163323) | 480
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate her Department has made of the likely increase in transmission charges for Scottish generators further to the British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements package of reforms. | | (162942) | 481
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will publish in full the Ofgem estimates of the net impact of British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements on Scottish generators. | | (162943) | 482
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discrete criteria are to be employed for Scotland as far as the review of the rural post office network is concerned. | | (162948) | 483
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received regarding the activities of the company Flexiclub; and if she will make a statement. | | (163227) | 484
| Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on her policy towards bullying in the workplace by senior management personnel, with particular reference to local government officers. | | (163233) | 485
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her estimate is of total expenditure by her Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if she will make a statement. | | (162752) | 486
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many press officers were employed in her Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if she will make a statement. | | (162853) | 487
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether there is a requirement on the United Kingdom to create a legal status for same-sex couples. | | (163087) | 488
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether legal rights and benefits to which married couples are entitled will not be given to registered same-sex couples in the Civil Partnership Bill. | | (163088) | 489
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how long a same-sex couple will be required to live together before they can register their partnership under the proposed Civil Partnership Bill. | | (163089) | 490
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, for what reason unfaithfulness similar to adultery has been omitted as a ground for dissolution of civil partnerships; and what obligation there is upon those entering a civil partnership to stay together for life. | | (163090) | 491
| Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what legal protection will be afforded to registrars who hold a principled and conscientious objection to conducting a civil partnership registration under the proposed Civil Partnership Bill. | | (163091) | 492
| Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the operation of the Renewables Obligation Certificates scheme. | | (162954) | 493
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received on the conduct of e-auctions. | | (162866) | 494
| Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she expects to publish the Government's response to the Office of Fair Trading Report on the regulation of the taxi trade. | | (162973) | 495
| Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the potential for generating electricity using the tidal power of the Severn esturary; and if she will make a statement. | | (163114) | 496
| Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many fixed price contracts have been undertaken by BNFL in the USA in each of the last 10 years. | | (162875) | 497
| Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her Answer of 17th March, ref 161969, whether a representative of Nirex was present at the meetings of (a) 5th March and (b) 9th March; and whether the communications budget was discussed. | | (163047) | 498
| Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 17th March, refs 161973 and 161974, what estimates of further losses are envisaged by BNFL Inc; and what other potential losses in the USA BNFL Inc have informed the Department of. | | (163074) | 499
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many cases of computer misuse there were in her Department in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163247) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 500
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made in implementing the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea. | | (162970) | 501
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 15th January, Official Report, column 40W, on ships (dangerous cargoes), how many incidents resulted in (a) court actions and (b) fines; and what the (i) nature of the conviction and (ii) financial penalty was in each case. | | (162971) | 502
| Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential of urban light rail to help relieve congestion and pollution. | | (163054) | 503
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers he has with respect to the re-opening of railway stations in Scotland. | | (162945) | 504
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to produce his Department's e-business strategy. | | (162814) | 505
N | Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British Transport Police officers are planned to be based in each British Transport Police force area for the period 2004-05. | | (162516) | 506
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what grants were made available to (a) the Greater London Authority, (b) Transport for London, and (c) each London borough from his Department in each of the last four financial years. | | (163060) | 507
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162759) | 508
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162847) | 509
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been given to UK companies in EU freight facilities grants in each of the last three years; and how many UK companies benefited in each year. | | (162994) | 510
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the criteria are for UK companies to qualify for EU freight facilities grants. | | (162995) | 511
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what purposes UK companies operating in Sussex have benefited from EU freight facilities grants in the last three years. | | (162996) | 512
| Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cycling proficiency tests have been (a) taken and (b) passed in each year since 1997, (i) in total and (ii) broken down by local authority. | | (163115) | 513
| Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial support has been given from his Department to local authorities for (a) cycling proficiency testing and (b) other bicycle training (i) in total and (ii) broken down by local authority. | | (163116) | 514
| Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research has been conducted into the safety implications of (a) the cycling proficiency test and (b) other bicycle training. | | (163117) | 515
| Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent changes have been made, and what changes are proposed, to a) the cycling proficiency test and (b) other bicycle training. | | (163118) | 516
| Mr Paul Marsden (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many qualified bicycle trainers there were in each year since 1997. | | (163120) | 517
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed in the Strategic Rail Authority; and what assessment he has made of the potential for cost savings. | | (162929) | 518
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department has received from Network Rail on their plans to (a) lease and (b) sell telecommunication masts and base stations on their land to mobile phone operators. | | (163030) | 519
| Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many telecommunication masts have been erected on land owned by Network Rail since January 2002. | | (163031) | 520
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter of comfort given to Network Rail on its refinancing programme through bonds. | | (163126) | 521
| Claire Ward (Watford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to extend the grant scheme for fuel efficient and hybrid powered vehicles. | | (162906) | 522
| Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 17th March, Official Report, column 288W, on Steer Davies Gleave, if he will list the contracts undertaken by Steer Davies Gleave in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003. | | (163046) | 523
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cases of computer misuse there were in his Department and its predecessor in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163274) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales 524
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many cases of computer misuse there were in (a) the predecessor to his Department in each year between 1997 and 1999 and (b) his Department in 2003, broken down by category of misuse; and how many of those cases resulted in disciplinary action. | | (163251) | 525
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many (a) schools and (b) hospitals have been closed in Wales since 1997. | | (163134) | 526
| Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many jobs have been lost in (a) manufacturing and (b) agriculture in Wales in each year since 1997. | | (163166) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 527
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease who are of working age are in receipt of disability living allowance; and how many of this number are in receipt of the higher allowance. | | (162567) | 528
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson's disease received support from the Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisory Service in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003. | | (162568) | 529
| Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals living in (a) York and (b) North Yorkshire were in receipt of (i) state retirement pension and (ii) other benefits in (A) 1997 and (B) each year since then. | | (162961) | 530
| Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent jobs there were in his Department and its executive agencies, and prior to 2001 with the Department of Social Security and its agencies, and those agencies which transferred to his Department in 2001, in each year since 1997. | | (162975) | 531
| Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by (a) Jobcentres and (b) Jobcentre Plus in each year since 1997; and how many unemployed people were served by those jobcentres in each year since 1997. | | (162976) | 532
| Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for benefits and pensions were made by people living in (a) York and (b) North Yorkshire in each year since 1997. | | (162977) | 533
| Peter Bradley (Wrekin, The):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people over (a) 60 years and (b) 80 years are in receipt of the winter fuel allowance in The Wrekin. | | (162774) | 534
| Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much (a) disability living allowance and (b) (i) short-term and (ii) long-term incapacity benefit was paid out in England and Wales as a result of (A) chronic pelvic pain and (B) endometriosis in each year since 2000-01, broken down by region. | | (163135) | 535
| Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals in England and Wales were receiving disability living allowance as a result of endometriosis in each year since 2000-01, broken down by region. | | (163136) | 536
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27th February, Official Report, column 584W, on direct payment, how many (a) Post Office Card Accounts and (b) bank or building society accounts have been requested for (i) state pension and pension credit and (ii) Jobcentre Plus payments; and if he will break down the number of accounts receiving payments (A) of state pension and pension credit and (B) payments from Jobcentre Plus by region. | | (162737) | 537
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect in terms of timescale and cost of altering the Post Office card account application process to allow account details to be provided from Post Office Limited direct to his Department; whether he has received representations from (a) Post Office Limited and (b) others relating to the Post Office card account application process; and if he will make a statement. | | (162800) | 538
N | Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the timescale involved in processing an application to receive pension and benefits into (a) a Post Office Card Account and (b) a bank or building society account; whether he has assessed differences in the timescale of the different application processes for direct payment; and if he will make a statement. | | (163073) | 539
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible for but not claiming council tax benefit in (a) Scotland, (b) the Highlands and Islands, (c) Orkney and (d) Shetland. | | (163309) | 540
| Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will ask a third party to examine the accuracy and impartiality of the information the Association of British Insurers is collating on the separation of long tail disease risk and accident risk, as referred to in his Department's Second Stage Report on the review of Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance. | | (163200) | 541
| Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many company pension schemes declared insolvent have been notified to his Department in the last three years. | | (162835) | 542
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated cost is of administering the pension credit in each of the first five years of its operation. | | (162683) | 543
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to reach a conclusion prior to the report stage of the Pensions Bill as to his policy on the position of those pension fund holders who have already lost out and are precluded from cover by the proposed protection fund as a result of the proposed date of entry of the same. | | (162946) | 544
| Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the net budget is for the Discretionary Social Fund for (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06. | | (162947) | 545
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households had more than one person claiming disability living allowance on the latest date for which figures are available. | | (162611) | 546
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he has taken to publicise the eligibility criteria for maternity allowance. | | (163339) | 547
N | Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women received incapacity benefit payments made on mental health grounds in each year since 1997 in relation to (i) depression and (ii) stress; and if he will break down these payments by region. | | (163051) | 548
N | Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women receiving incapacity benefit payments made on mental health grounds in relation to (i) stress and (ii) depression received these payments for longer than (A) one month, (B) six months, (C) a year and (D) two years in each year since 1997; and if he will break down these payments by region. | | (163052) | 549
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to produce his Department's e-business strategy. | | (162815) | 550
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) redundancies and (b) redeployments he plans to make in (i) his Department, (ii) Jobcentre Plus, (iii) the Child Support Agency, (iv) the Pension Service, (v) the Disability and Carers Service, (vi) the DWP Corporate Centre and (vii) the Appeals Service in each of the next four years; how many will be front-line staff; and if he will make a statement. | | (163294) | 551
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research his Department has conducted into the effects of his Department's planned redundancies and redeployment of staff over the next four years; if he will place copies in the Library; and if he will make a statement. | | (163295) | 552
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation he has conducted with (a) staff, (b) unions, (c) management and (d) senior management within his Department on planned redundancies and redeployment of staff over the next four years; whether he plans to have further discussions with these groups on this matter; and if he will make a statement. | | (163296) | 553
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate has been made of the savings which are likely to be made through the redundancy progreamme in his Department in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement. | | (163297) | 554
| Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to what areas of his Department he plans to redeploy staff in the next four years; how many of these will be front line positions; and if he will make a statement. | | (163298) | 555
| Sir Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on action taken in relation to companies who are unable to find an insurer to set up a company stakeholder pension scheme with. | | (163132) | 556
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of total expenditure by his Department on (a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995-96 to 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. | | (162761) | 557
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many press officers were employed in his Department in each year from 1990-91 to 2003-04; what the total cost was in each year; and if he will make a statement. | | (162834) | 558
| Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his plans are for Jobcentre Plus for over 50s; and how much his Department has committed to the programme. | | (163016) | 559
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has for the filestore in Nelson, Lancashire; and if he will make a statement. | | (163202) | 560
| Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria he will apply to determine whether incapacity benefit needs to be reviewed as part of the Pathway to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement. | | (162868) | 561
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Scotland were in receipt of (a) the minimum income guarantee (b) council tax benefit and (c) jobseeker's allowance in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02. | | (163127) | 562
| John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-pensioners in Scotland were in receipt of income support in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02. | | (163128) | 563
N | Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list each of his Department's performance targets for the (a) old and (b) new Child Support Agency scheme; and what the latest performance against each of those targets is. | | (162681) | 564
N | Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the annual cost to public funds from April, net of savings in mean-tested benefits and additional income tax revenue, (a) of paying state pensions in full at the rate of a Category A pension to every UK pensioner aged between 65 and 74, regardless of their contribution record and (b) of paying a full basic state pension to each individual at the rate of the guarantee credit, regardless of contribution record, from the age of 75; and if he will estimate for (b) the cost in each of the following four years on the assumption that the pension was then indexed to earnings. | | (162682) | 565
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) temporary and (b) permanent changes to the level of written evidence needed to support an application for pension credit have been implemented by his Department; and if he will make a statement. | | (163292) | 566
| Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if it is his Department's policy to require written evidence of the value of (a) occupational pensions, (b) premium bonds and (c) income tax payments when assessing pension credit applications; and if he will make a statement. | | (163293) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 567
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to make an additional submission to the European Court of Justice regarding the level of excise duty levied by the Greek Government on ouzo. | | [Transferred] (163308) | 568
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes have been made since 1997 to the tax system to promote enterprise and growth in small businesses; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness. | | [Transferred] (163324) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 569
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people have benefited from the New Entrepreneur Scholarship programme since its creation. | | [Transferred] (163320) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 570
| Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the End of Life Vehicles Directive, on (a) the number of old and inefficient polluting vehicles on the road, (b) the number of cars abandoned and (c) the price of scrapping an old car. | | [Transferred] (163138) | 571
| Tony Wright (Cannock Chase):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total sum is that has been taken to date by the Treasury from the miners' pension schemes under the terms of the 1994 agreement. | | [Transferred] (163241) |
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