Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2003 - 04
Publications on the internet
The Questions Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Friday 23 April 2004

Notes:
* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.
+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.
[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.
[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Friday 23 April 2004
(the 'Questions Book')

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Friday 23 April 2004

This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Friday 23 April 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 Friday 23 April of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper.

For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Friday 23 April see Part 2 of this paper.

Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office

1
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many instances of gold plating have been brought to the attention of the Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit, with particular reference to the Cabinet Office Transposition Guide, 2003, page 17.

(168646)

Questions to the Chairman of the Catering Committee

2
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee, whether the House plans to source more food from North West food producers following the North West Food and Drink promotion in the House on 22nd April.

(168709)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

3
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to the (a) World Bank, (b) IMF and (c) Paris Club creditors on increasing the debt cancellation available to the world's poorest countries, with particular reference to Iraq, through the heavily indebted poor countries process.

(168609)

4
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact on demand forecasts for air travel of (a) taxing aviation fuel at the same level as motor fuel, (b) the aviation industry paying the social and environmental costs of air travel and (c) applying VAT to airfares.

(168721)

5
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the EU and (b) other international partners on reducing or eliminating tax concessions received by the aviation industry; and if he will make a statement.

(168776)

6
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many job vacancies there were in Heywood and Middleton in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003.

(168515)

7
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many senior citizens in Heywood and Middleton qualified for the 10 pence rate of income tax in each year since its introduction.

(168516)

8
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in Heywood and Middleton have received child tax credit.

(168517)

9
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment.

(168518)

10
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of unemployment was in each year since 1997 in Heywood and Middleton.

(168519)

11
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) change and (b) percentage change was in full-time permanent jobs in Heywood and Middleton from 1997 to 31st December 2003.

(168520)

12
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new jobs have been created in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168521)

13
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were employed in tourism-related jobs in Heywood and Middleton on the latest date for which figures are available.

(168522)

14
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had recently with the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd on expansion of credit unions in the UK.

(168800)

15
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made in lowering administration costs as a proportion of total spending since the 2004 Budget Statement.

(168600)

16
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made in implementing 2.5 per cent. per year efficiency gains since the 2004 Budget Statement.

(168601)

17
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Union Flag was not flown above the Treasury on the Queen's Birthday on 21st April.

(168801)

18
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of unemployment was in each year since 1997 in Stalybridge and Hyde.

(168763)

19
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses in Stalybridge and Hyde have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computers and internet equipment.

(168764)

20
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in Stalybridge and Hyde have received child tax credit.

(168765)

21
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many senior citizens in Stalybridge and Hyde qualified for the 10 pence rate of income tax in each year since its introduction.

(168766)

22
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many job vacancies there were in Stalybridge and Hyde in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003.

(168767)

23
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the location is of each of the national insurance call centres; how many people work at each; how many complaints were received concerning each one in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(168558)

24
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) public expenditure there was and (b) tax revenue was raised per head of population in each of the last seven years.

(168430)

25
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168672)

26
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of unclaimed assets he will be able to apply to charitable purposes; and if he will make a statement.

(167601)

Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs

27
N The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what work is being undertaken by the British Irish Council in the field of languages; what the objectives of this work are; which Government Departments are involved; what contribution non-governmental organisations in the minority languages sector are making to this work; and how the work will contribute to the delivery of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

(168010)

28
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168685)

29
N Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many cases from Wales were heard in each of the last three years by the Social Security Commissioners; and how many of these were heard partly or wholly through the medium of Welsh.

(167985)

30
N Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the average waiting time from application to hearing for cases before the Social Security Commissioners was in each of the last three years for cases heard (a) wholly or partly in Welsh and (b) in English.

(167986)

31
N Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what provision is available for cases before the Social Security Commissioners to be heard either wholly or partly in Welsh in respect of (a) cases heard in Wales and (b) cases from Wales heard in England.

(167987)

32
N Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many cases from Wales were heard by the Social Security Commissioners in England in each of the last three years.

(168018)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

33
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much money from the New Opportunities Fund was allocated to Heywood and Middleton in each year since 1997.

(168526)

34
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the work of regional development agencies in developing tourism in Heywood and Middleton.

(168527)

35
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24th March, Official Report, column 876W, on sporting contacts (ban), whether, on 28th October 1997, ministers had the power to invoke a ban on sporting contact with other countries taking place outside the UK.

(168598)

36
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) honourable Members and (b) political parties from Northern Ireland in relation to promoting Northern Ireland for games events for the 2012 London Olympic bid.

(168640)

37
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the tourism industry's balance of trade was in each year since 1992.

(168588)

38
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what contribution the tourism industry made to gross domestic product in (a) absolute terms and (b) as a percentage in each year since 1992.

(168589)

39
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the annual growth rate of the UK tourism industry was in each year since 1992.

(168590)

40
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were employed directly in the UK tourism industry in each year since 1992.

(168591)

41
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many overseas visitors came to the UK in each year since 1992.

(168592)

42
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she will publish her Department's Prospectus for Tourism; and when it was first announced that a provisional timescale for the publication of the Prospectus for Tourism had been set.

(168593)

43
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much money from the New Opportunities Fund was allocated to Stalybridge and Hyde in each year since 1997.

(168748)

44
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168683)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence

45
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the procedure is for acquiring spares for Merlin helicopters; and if he will make a statement.

(168561)

46
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of privatisation of IT infrastructure in his Department on national security.

(168385)

47
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the advantages and disadvantages of privatising IT infrastructure in his Department.

(168386)

48
Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the contribution his Department makes to the West Midlands economy.

(168466)

49
Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list his Department's land holdings in the West Midlands.

(168467)

50
Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in establishing defence colleges as centres of vocational excellence.

(168468)

51
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons are for the abatement of pensions under Armed Forces Pension Scheme rules; on what grounds those rules are applied for those in full-time reserve when contributions have been paid; and if he will make a statement.

(168060)

52
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what sums of money involved in training of military students for foreign governments were (a) paid, (b) waived and (c) written off in each of the last three years; and which countries were involved.

(168618)

53
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) males and (b) females are employed in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Air Force and (iii) Royal Navy as (A) commissioned officers, (B) non-commissioned officers and (C) other ranks.

(168620)

54
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168680)

55
Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the change has been in the number of jobs at his Department's bases in Wales in each year since 1997; and what the change has been in the establishment of Welsh regiments in the same period.

(168458)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

56
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how the Government intends to allocate the council tax received from empty homes.

(168374)

57
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the target is for each region for increasing the area of green belt; and what allowance the targets make for the sustainable communities plan areas.

(168375)

58
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the effect of electronic application to land searches and registration on the speed of housing market transactions; and what further improvements in the speed of these transactions will result from the introduction of sellers' packs.

(168376)

59
N Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many non-domestic hereditaments with a rateable value of (a) less than £8,000, (b) between £8,001 and £25,000 and (c) over £25,001 there were in each billing authority in the last year for which figures are available.

(167502)

60
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168432)

61
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how the Starter Homes Initiative has benefited the residents of Heywood and Middleton.

(168433)

62
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether interim financial measures will be put in place pending the outcome of the Balance of Funding Review.

(168585)

63
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with National Assembly for Wales Government on the (a) Balance of Funding Review and (b) the parallel exercise in Wales.

(168586)

64
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168774)

65
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how the Starter Homes Initiative has affected the residents of Stalybridge and Hyde.

(168788)

66
Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much the Standards Board for England has spent on investigations with regard to parish councils; and how much money was involved in the complaints and issues that led to such investigations.

(168664)

67
Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether his Department directs the Standards Board for England to consider the benefit to the public interest when (a) determining whether to pursue investigations against parish councillors and (b) pursuing those investigations.

(168720)

68
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much central government support per head of population was given to each local authority in each year since 1997.

(168431)

69
Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what responses he has received to the consultation about the creation of an urban development corporation for South Bedfordshire; and what progress there has been towards the creation of an urban development corporation for South Bedfordshire.

(168793)

70
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168673)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

71
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many education psychology training places have been available for postgraduate study in each year since 1997.

(168633)

72
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many education psychologists were working (a) in each local education authority and (b) in total in each year since 1997.

(168634)

73
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many education psychologists there were per child in (a) primary education, (b) secondary education, (c) primary schools serving special educational needs and (d) secondary schools serving special educational needs in each year since 1997.

(168635)

74
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of information and communication technology on (a) GCSE and (b) A-level grades.

(168667)

75
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of schools have access to broadband-enabled internet, broken down by those in (a) urban, (b) rural and (c) deprived areas.

(168668)

76
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to (a) Government and (b) individual schools of installing interactive computer display whiteboards.

(168669)

77
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many new nurseries have been established in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168495)

78
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the National Childcare Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

(168496)

79
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public money was spent on repairing schools in Heywood and Middleton in each year since 1997.

(168497)

80
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Heywood and Middleton were taught in classes of more than 30 on the latest date for which figures are available.

(168498)

81
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much funding each school in Heywood and Middleton has received from the New Deal for Schools.

(168499)

82
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the Excellence in Cities programme; and what the per pupil spending was in each year since the programme's inception.

(168500)

83
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools in Heywood and Middleton deemed to be failing since 1997 have since reached satisfactory standards.

(168501)

84
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of pupils in Heywood and Middleton reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years.

(168502)

85
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of 11 year old pupils in Heywood and Middleton reached level four in (a) mathematics and (b) English in each of the last seven years.

(168503)

86
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of 15 and 16 year olds in Heywood and Middleton achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C or GNVQ equivalent in each of the last seven years.

(168504)

87
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding was spent on higher education in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last seven years.

(168505)

88
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding was spent on computers for schools in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last seven years.

(168506)

89
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many Capital Modernisation Fund computer-learning centres have been established in Heywood and Middleton.

(168507)

90
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) teachers and (b) families in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the Computers within Reach programme.

(168508)

91
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much money was allocated to Heywood and Middleton from the Capital Modernisation Fund.

(168509)

92
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many women in Heywood and Middleton have visited an information and communications technology training centre in order to learn skills to return to work.

(168510)

93
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people in Heywood and Middleton have received a computer to assist in seeking employment or retraining.

(168511)

94
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much money has been allocated to schools in Heywood and Middleton for information and communications technology since 2001.

(168512)

95
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many childcare places have been created in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168513)

96
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many residents of Heywood and Middleton have undertaken apprenticeships in each of the last five years.

(168514)

97
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the effects on schools of changes since 1997 in the level of investment in school sports in Heywood and Middleton.

(168576)

98
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last five years.

(168577)

99
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teacher vacancies there were in Heywood and Middleton on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them.

(168578)

100
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teaching assistants there were in schools in Heywood and Middleton (a) in each of the last seven years and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

(168579)

101
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding was spent per pupil in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last seven years.

(168580)

102
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four year olds in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last seven years.

(168581)

103
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what funds were available to the Learning and Skills Council nationally for further education colleges new build requirements for (a) each year of its existence and (b) the previous three years of the Further Education Funding Council.

(168831)

104
Mr Mark Hendrick (Preston):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much money has been allocated to develop school sports in Preston since 1997.

(168711)

105
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many admissions to the higher education sector there have been of students from (a) overseas, (b) the Gulf States and (c) the United Arab Emirates in each of the last 10 years.

(168567)

106
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps are being taken by his Department to assist the higher education sector in attracting students from the United Arab Emirates.

(168570)

107
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what progress has been made in reducing the number of headquarters staff since the 2004 Budget Statement.

(168599)

108
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many residents of Stalybridge and Hyde have undertaken apprenticeships in each of the last five years.

(168749)

109
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many childcare places have been created in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168750)

110
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last seven years.

(168751)

111
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding has been spent on higher education in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last seven years.

(168752)

112
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of 15 and 16 year olds in Stalybridge and Hyde achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A to C or GNVQ equivalent in each of the last seven years.

(168753)

113
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of pupils in Stalybridge and Hyde reached the (a) mathematics and (b) English standard in each of the last seven years.

(168754)

114
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Stalybridge and Hyde have benefited from the Excellence in Cities programme; and what the per pupil spending was in each year since the programme's inception.

(168755)

115
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Stalybridge and Hyde were taught in classes of more than 30 on the latest date for which figures are available.

(168756)

116
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in Stalybridge and Hyde have gained from the National Childcare Strategy.

(168757)

117
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) free nursery places and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four year olds in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last seven years.

(168758)

118
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding was spent per pupil in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last seven years.

(168759)

119
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teaching assistants there were in schools in Stalybridge and Hyde (a) in each of the last seven years and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

(168760)

120
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last five years.

(168761)

121
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the effects on schools of changes since 1997 in the level of investment in school sports in Stalybridge and Hyde.

(168762)

122
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children have received statements in Gloucestershire in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; what the figures are for other shire counties; and if he will make a statement.

(168061)

123
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much Gloucestershire County Council has spent on statementing children in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; what the figures are for other shire counties; and if he will make a statement.

(168062)

124
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much extra money in net terms is provided to the local education authority in Gloucestershire through the area cost adjustment; and if he will make a statement.

(168063)

125
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) revenue and (b) capital expenditure was on schools in Warrington South in each year since 1997.

(168701)

126
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four year olds in Warrington South in each of the last seven years.

(168702)

127
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much public funding has been spent on (a) computer equipment and (b) computer facilities for schools in Warrington South in each year since 1997.

(168703)

128
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) total set up and (b) latest annual operating costs were for the East of England Centre for Playwork Education and Training; and what the sources of those funds are.

(168779)

129
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the aims and objectives are for the East of England Centre for Playwork Education and Training; and how many staff are involved in this organisation.

(168795)

130
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168684)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

131
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been carried out to establish the background levels of fluoxetine in the aquatic environment.

(167861)

132
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information she has procured to establish the levels of residue from anti-depressant drugs in wastewater which has passed through sewage-treatment plants.

(167862)

133
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on farm income levels for farmers in Heywood and Middleton in the past five years.

(168435)

134
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many homes in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the home energy efficiency scheme, Warm Front.

(168436)

135
Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which European Union directives for which her Department has responsibility were not transposed into UK law before the passing of the transposition deadlines in each of the last five years.

(168368)

136
Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 10th March, Official Report, column 1538W, on disposal of liquid waste to sewers, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of provision of the data maintained by the Environment Agency on the volume of hazardous liquid waste disposed directly to public sewers.

(168369)

137
Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of climate change on the quantities of water that may be sustainably abstracted over the next 50 years, broken down by region.

(168370)

138
Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 10th March, Official Report, column 1534W, on meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister on compliance with the Landfill Directive, on what dates meetings were held; and what was discussed on each occasion.

(168371)

139
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the reasons why the Vital Villages Programme is being ended.

(167970)

140
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evaluation she has undertaken of the effectiveness of the Vital Villages Programme.

(167971)

141
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and (b) Regional Development Agencies on successor organisations and programme to Vital Villages.

(167972)

142
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on progress being made on the introduction of new entry level schemes for environmental support.

(168792)

143
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect on (i) wildlife and (ii) the environment of exposure to harmful chemicals.

(168563)

144
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on UK citizens of exposure to harmful chemicals, with particular reference to those found in everyday products.

(168564)

145
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to recommend that the proposed European Chemicals Regulation (REACH) incorporate a legal framework for the substitution of harmful man-made chemicals where safer alternatives exist; and if she will make a statement.

(168565)

146
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 19th April, Official Report, column 129W, on animal fodder, if she will list the developing countries which exported animal feeding stuffs and cereals into the (a) UK and (b) EU in 2002.

(168796)

147
Mr Jimmy Hood (Clydesdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the outcome was of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 21st April; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

(168714)

148
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate how many properties in Cheltenham will be affected by flooding in a once in 100-year event if no bund is constructed at Cox's Meadow.

(168387)

149
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate how many properties will be affected by flooding in a once in 100-year event if (a) the Cheltenham Flood Alleviation Project including the bund at Cox's Meadow and (b) the Cheltenham Flood Alleviation Project approved in 1998 is constructed.

(168388)

150
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the results of modelling used to assess the impact of flooding in Cheltenham of a once in 100-year event.

(168389)

151
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement of the expected impact on Cheltenham caused by a once in 100-year flooding event.

(168390)

152
Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action her Department will be taking to mark World Oceans day on 8th June.

(168469)

153
Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proposals she has under the Waste Implementation Programme to identify and promote best practice within the NHS in relation to the promotion and use of disposable nappies.

(168777)

154
Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has commissioned on the potential impact on household waste volumes of introducing charges based upon the volume or weight of domestic waste produced by each household, with particular reference to disposable nappy volumes; and if she will make a statement.

(168778)

155
Mr David Lepper (Brighton, Pavilion):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what waste reduction targets have been set for the UK by European directives and regulations; what penalties could be incurred for failure to meet those targets; and what assessment has been made of the contribution of a reduction in the numbers of disposable nappies being sent to landfill to achieving those targets.

(168790)

156
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the change in her Department's grant-in-aid budget to the Countryside Agency.

(168802)

157
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the change in her Department's grant-in-aid budget to the Countryside Agency on the (a) Agency and (b) Vital Villages Campaign.

(168803)

158
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who will now fund projects previously funded by the Vital Villages Campaign.

(168804)

159
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when and where she announced the decision to abolish funding for the Are you doing your bit campaign.

(168806)

160
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the contribution the Are you doing your bit campaign has made to the Government's efforts to achieve its target of a 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2008 to 2012.

(168807)

161
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Government funding was available in each of the past three years to Government programmes (a) to stop people littering and polluting, (b) to promote energy efficiency and (c) to cut traffic pollution.

(168808)

162
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Government funding was available in each of the past three years to the Tidy Britain campaign.

(168809)

163
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much she expects the Government to spend on environmental campaigns in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06.

(168810)

164
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Government funding was available in each of the past three years to the (a) Energy Saving Trust and (b) Going for Green charity.

(168811)

165
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the decision not to renew the Government's Are you doing your bit campaign; and what funding was provided for the www.doingyourbit.org.uk website, since the campaign began.

(168812)

166
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many homes in Stalybridge and Hyde have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency and Warm Front Schemes.

(168768)

167
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with other EU ministers about transportation times for animals being exported for slaughter or fattening; and if she will make a statement.

(168059)

168
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many homes in Warrington South have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency and Warm Front Schemes.

(168705)

169
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168676)

170
N Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Country Land and Business Association about St. George's Day breakfasts.

(167863)

171
N Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to mark and celebrate St. George's Day.

(167864)

172
N Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to encourage the local sourcing of food and other products.

(167865)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

173
N Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met representatives from (a) the England & Wales Cricket Board and (b) the International Cricket Council to discuss the proposed cricket tour by the England team to Zimbabwe later this year.

(167185)

174
N Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the EU-Africa meeting on 1st April in Dublin; what issues were raised; what was agreed; and whether follow-up meetings are scheduled.

(167186)

175
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much is available this year for distribution under the small grants scheme by the UK Ambassador or High Commissioner in each country in which the scheme operates; and how much was distributed in each country in each of the last three years.

(168813)

176
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Azerbajan Government concerning the threats made by Islamist extremists against Pastor Khalid Babaev, a Seventh Day Adventist pastor in Nakhichevan.

(168428)

177
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Indonesia concerning (a) the attack by masked gunmen on Christians at the Tabernacle Church in Kilo Village, Poso District, Sulawesi, (b) the murder of the Reverend Freddy Wuisan, (c) the shooting of Rosia Pilongo, the Dean of the Law Department of Sintuwu Maroso University, Silawesi, and (d) the shooting of Jhon Christian Tanalida close to Poso City, Silawesi.

(168574)

178
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contribution his Department is making to the reconciliation process in Sulawesi.

(168575)

179
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with the National Islamic Front Government of the Sudan over the continuing use of Hudad.

(168794)

180
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chinese Government concerning (a) the repatriation of the North Korean refugee Mr Park Yong-chol (alias Jo Yong-su) from China to North Korea and (b) the mistreatment of the Chinese house church leader Pastor Gong Shengliang whilst in prison in Hongshan Prison, Wuhan City, Hubei Province.

(168799)

181
Mrs Lorna Fitzsimons (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last made representations to obtain pardons for British prisoners incarcerated in Thai prisons; and if he will make a statement.

(168719)

182
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter to the honourable Member for Portsmouth South dated 14th April, which countries his Department considers to have a stricter and more transparent arms exporting system than the UK.

(168596)

183
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates; and what plans there are for future ministerial visits to foster (a) business links and (b) cultural relations.

(168568)

184
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) social, (b) economic and (c) cultural links between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(168569)

185
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government gives to efforts to tackle money-laundering in the Gulf States.

(168571)

186
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what joint activity the UK undertakes with the United Arab Emirates on counter-terrorism.

(168572)

187
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of EU special representative in Uganda Sigurd Illing's comments of 29th October 2003 on the situation in Uganda; what his Department's policy is on the recommendations made by Mr Illing to the Government of Uganda; and if he will make a statement.

(168551)

188
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department has (a) offered and (b) provided to the Government of Uganda to (i) initiate, (ii) facilitate and (iii) co-ordinate talks with the Lord's Resistance Army; and if he will make a statement.

(168552)

189
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had with representatives of the governments of EU member states on proposals for the resolution of the civil war in Uganda before 29th October 2003; when the last proposal was presented to the Council of Ministers; when this issue was last discussed by the Council of Ministers; what concerns were raised at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

(168553)

190
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with members of (a) the French Government and (b) Prime Minister Seydou Diarra's transitional government in Ivory Coast concerning the nature of the death of French journalist Jean Helene in Abidjan; what advice his Department has issued to UK aid workers (i) in Ivory Coast and (ii) looking to travel to Ivory Coast; and if he will make a statement.

(168554)

191
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the proposals for the establishment of a regional peace force, announced by the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) on 29th October 2003; what discussions he has had with members of the governments of (a) EU member states, (b) EU candidate countries, (c) CEEAC member states, (d) South Africa and (e) the USA on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

(168555)

192
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department sent observers to the meeting of the Economic Community of Central African States' meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, on 28th and 29th October 2003; what key issues have been reported to him; and if he will make a statement.

(168556)

193
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) South Africa's Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and (b) other members of the Government of South Africa concerning the proposed creation of a South African standby force by 2005; and if he will make a statement.

(168557)

194
Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow Govan):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the insistence by the Israeli Government that the Palestinians should abandon their right of return to what is now Israel.

(168459)

195
Mr Mohammad Sarwar (Glasgow Govan):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) Israel and (b) the United States on the Israeli Government's policy of targeted assassinations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

(168460)

196
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will seek to arrange a meeting with Mordecai Vanunu to discuss ways to implement a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

(168616)

197
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, by which (a) governments and (b) organisations it was decided to send (i) surplus highly enriched uranium from Libya to Russia and (ii) nuclear technology components and missiles to the United States following the decision of Libya to halt its programmes of weapons of mass destruction.

(168728)

198
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has been made by his Department of the implications for national security of climate change.

(168840)

199
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168674)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

200
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will set up an inquiry into the number of (a) adolescents and (b) adults with an Asperger Syndrome diagnosis; and if he will make a statement.

(168602)

201
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many replacement (a) knee and (b) hip joint operations have been carried out in each year since 1980.

(168603)

202
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many kidney transplants have been carried out by the NHS in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(168604)

203
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) average cost of each patient consultation to a general practitioner and (b) average (i) hourly and (ii) daily cost to the NHS of a general practitioner's time was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(168716)

204
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has undertaken into the most common reasons for people visiting their general practitioner; what the results were; and if he will make a statement.

(168717)

205
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned into the link between employment and a person's health; and if he will make a statement.

(168718)

206
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will meet representatives of natural health food companies to discuss the Food Supplements Directive.

(168456)

207
N Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were admitted to the accident and emergency departments at (a) Weston General Hospital, (b) the Royal United Hospital, Bath and (c) the Frenchay Hospital, Bristol in each of the last five years.

(167500)

208
N Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding has been made available for the accident and emergency departments at (a) Weston General Hospital, (b) the Royal United Hospital, Bath and (c) the Frenchay Hospital, Bristol in each of the last five years.

(167501)

209
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the future arrangements for the monitoring of care standards will include the use of lay visitors.

(168691)

210
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much land at St George's Hospital, Morpeth, is to be transferred to English Partnerships for housing development; and what the (a) housing capacity and (b) value of the transferred land is.

(168698)

211
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many business cases have so far been (a) submitted and (b) rejected for a replacement neuro-disability centre for Hunters Moor Hospital, Newcastle; what the date was of the first such submission; and whether a business case has now been accepted.

(168699)

212
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) value and (b) target capacity for the independent treatment centre awarded to Capio Healthcare in Newcastle is; what types of treatment it will offer; and when he expects the treatment centre to be functioning.

(168700)

213
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many senior citizens in Heywood and Middleton have access to free eye tests.

(168482)

214
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents in Heywood and Middleton aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests.

(168483)

215
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were in Heywood in each of the last seven years; and if he will make a statement.

(168484)

216
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS therapists were located in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last seven years.

(168485)

217
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes there have been to NHS waiting list time in the last seven years for the residents of Heywood and Middleton.

(168486)

218
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of suspected cancer patients in Heywood and Middleton saw an NHS consultant within two weeks in each of the last seven years.

(168487)

219
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on NHS waiting times for heart surgery in Heywood and Middleton.

(168488)

220
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public funding has been spent on (a) heart disease and (b) cancer care in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last five years.

(168489)

221
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of women in Heywood and Middleton with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks in each of the last five years.

(168490)

222
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public funding has been spent on health in Heywood and Middleton in each of the last seven years.

(168491)

223
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents in Heywood and Middleton awaiting heart surgery have had the option of choosing an alternative hospital for quicker treatment in the last 12 months.

(168492)

224
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the levels of elective admissions to the NHS in Heywood and Middleton in the past five years.

(168493)

225
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the effect on residents of Heywood and Middleton of the Health Development Agency.

(168494)

226
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the recorded incidence of erectile dysfunction was, broken down by age group, in the last year for which figures are available.

(168445)

227
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he issues to general practitioners on what constitutes severe distress for the purposes of the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

(168446)

228
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the 2003 Report of Progress and Future Challenges on the National Service Framework for Older People, what written policies were found that discriminated against older people; what progress has been made in amending these policies; and if he will make a statement.

(168644)

229
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) intermediate care beds and (b) non-residential intermediate care places there were in March; and if he will make a statement.

(168645)

230
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made towards developing a medication review curriculum for (a) providers of education and (b) those seeking training on medication reviews; and if he will make a statement.

(168708)

231
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what specific funding has been allocated for the implementation of each of the national service frameworks in each of the last three years.

(168805)

232
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on the treatment of children in hospital by staff not specifically trained to treat children.

(167598)

233
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on the treatment of children in hospital in facilities not specifically designated for children.

(167599)

234
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the definition is of the Mid and South Bucks Health Community; and whether this body has a statutory basis in law.

(167600)

235
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of a coronary angioplasty was in each NHS hospital trust in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

(168595)

236
Dr Doug Naysmith (Bristol North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that SSRI anti-depressants carry a warning that they may make patients suicidal.

(168841)

237
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public funding has been spent on health in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last seven years.

(168769)

238
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public funding has been spent on (a) heart disease and (b) cancer care in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last five years.

(168770)

239
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times in the last seven years for the residents of Stalybridge and Hyde.

(168771)

240
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were in Stalybridge and Hyde in each of the last seven years.

(168772)

241
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents in Stalybridge and Hyde over 60 have benefited from the aboliton of charges for eye tests.

(168773)

242
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the revenue expenditure figures for NHS (a) heart disease and (b) cancer care in Warrington South was in each of the last five years.

(168687)

243
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of women in Warrington South with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks in the last year.

(168688)

244
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were seen at Warrington Hospital Accident and Emergency in each of the last five years.

(168689)

245
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost is of the new accident and emergency unit at Warrington Hospital; and what facilities it will provide.

(168690)

246
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advances have been made in coronary care in Warrington Hospital since 1997; and what further plans are in progress.

(168706)

247
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what capital expenditure has been undertaken at Warrington Hospital in each year since 1997; and for what purposes.

(168707)

248
N Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received regarding endorsement and distribution of third party products by NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement.

(166344)

249
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168678)

250
Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent analysis has been carried out of waiting times for child and adolescent psychology services; and if he will make a statement.

(168666)

251
Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions were issued in each year since 1997; and how many of them were dispensed.

(168582)

Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department

252
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) anti-social behaviour orders, (b) parenting orders and (c) curfew orders have been issued by Leeds City Council since 12th February 2003.

(168605)

253
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) young offenders and (b) juveniles were given a custodial sentence by courts in London in each month since January 2003.

(168637)

254
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many adult males given a custodial sentence by courts were assessed as requiring (a) category A, (b) category B, (c) category C and (d) category D security conditions in London in each month since January 2003.

(168638)

255
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) women and (b) juveniles were given a custodial sentence by courts in Wales in each month since January 2003.

(168639)

256
Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact on the UK heroin market of changes in poppy production in Afghanistan over the past two years; and if he will make a statement.

(168724)

257
Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated total annual cost to the UK economy was of dealing with the drug problem in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what factors the calcuation includes.

(168725)

258
Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated level of drugs-driven crime for the UK was in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(168726)

259
Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what collaborative endeavours there are with other governments to stifle the synthetic supply of drugs.

(168727)

260
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many National Asylum Support Service-supported asylum seekers in the City of Newcastle have had support and accommodation withdrawn on the grounds of the failure of their case, broken down by (a) gender and (b) the number of dependants involved.

(168692)

261
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a scheme of transitional support will be offered to asylum seekers from EU accession countries from 1st May.

(168693)

262
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases involving asylum seekers and dependants from EU accession countries remain to be determined.

(168694)

263
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the discretionary amnesty to asylum seekers with children will be extended to asylum seekers from EU accession countries who are in the UK on 1st May.

(168695)

264
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether asylum seekers from EU accession countries will be required to have an approved work permit under the Special Work Registration scheme before starting work on 1st May; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued to (a) employers and (b) jobcentres.

(168696)

265
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status will be of asylum seekers from EU accession countries who are sick or medically unfit for work from 1st May.

(168697)

266
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the post of (a) Head of Human Relations and (b) Head of Standards in the National Offender Management Service will be advertised.

(168461)

267
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the change in gross pension provision for the (a) National Probation Directorate and (b) National Probation Service (Local Area Boards) will be following the publication of the Spring Supplementary Estimates for 2003-04.

(168462)

268
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reasons were for the change in the gross financial provision of the National Probation Directorate for 2003-04

(168463)

269
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what budget was set for the National Probation Directorate at the commencement of the financial year 2003-04; what the change in gross provision was; and if he will make a statement.

(168464)

270
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when (a) Custody Plus and (b) Custody Minus will be implemented; and how many additional (i) probation and (ii) prison staff will be recruited to administer it.

(168465)

271
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women were given a custodial sentence by courts in London in each month since January 2003.

(168780)

272
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will be responsible for commissioning new prison establishments under the National Offender Management Service.

(168781)

273
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will be responsible for setting the categorisation of prison establishments under the National Offender Management Service.

(168782)

274
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether regional offender managers will be required to (a) locate prisoners and (b) purchase places for prisoners, as close to their homes as possible.

(168783)

275
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will have the authority to move a prisoner to another prison once a place has been purchased by a regional offender manager under the new structure for the National Offender Management Service.

(168784)

276
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will be responsible for population management issues once prisoner places have been purchased by regional offender managers.

(168785)

277
Mrs Ann Cryer (Keighley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it will be the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service to set the cost that can be charged for a prison place at each establishment.

(168786)

278
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by how much the reconviction rate has changed since the introduction of the private sector to the Prison Service.

(168396)

279
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the performance testing programme for prisons will continue in its current form under the National Offender Management Service.

(168397)

280
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how value for money will be shown to have been achieved if in-house bids for the running of existing establishments are not permitted under the current performance testing programme in the Prison Service.

(168398)

281
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the introduction of market testing of prison establishments under the National Offender Management Service.

(168425)

282
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether, under the increased use of contestability, in-house bid teams from the Prison Service will compete directly with the private sector for the operation of existing prison establishments.

(168426)

283
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether, under the increased use of contestability, private sector providers will be required to compete for the operation of existing prison establishments directly with the public sector provider.

(168427)

284
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in the number of full-time police officers in Heywood and Middleton has been since 1997.

(168534)

285
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded crime, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts in Heywood and Middleton has been since 1997.

(168535)

286
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much public funding has been spent on CCTV security cameras in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168536)

287
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public funds were spent on tackling drugs misuse in Heywood and Middleton in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 2003-04.

(168537)

288
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will begin the process which would lead to an unconditional free pardon for the suffrage supporters who went to prison during the campaign.

(168562)

289
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answers of 19th April, Official Report, column 116W, on substance abuse, what mechanisms he uses to gauge the level of misuse of volatile substances by young people.

(168597)

290
N Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) more than five registrations with the Criminal Records Bureau.

(167975)

291
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the National Offender Management Service will contribute towards a reduction in the use of custody.

(168391)

292
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the additional probation staff employed since December 1999 are trainee probation officers; and what their average caseload is.

(168392)

293
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how contestability differs from (a) market testing and (b) privatisation.

(168393)

294
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff taken on by the National Probation Service since December 1999 are Probation Service officers; and how many are qualified to complete pre-sentence reports and parole assessments.

(168394)

295
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the role of energy storage with regard to improving the distributed energy network and as a safeguard against (a) unexpected failures of the national power system and (b) the unpredictability of renewable energy sources; what initiatives his Department is sponsoring to encourage the development of energy storage; and what assessment he has made of the decision by RWE Innogy to stop the Regenesys energy storage project.

(168607)

296
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has made to Customs and Excise regarding the VAT status of Centrex.

(168437)

297
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the intended reduction of Stage 2 police probationer training from 15 weeks to 12 weeks.

(168438)

298
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Stage 2 police probationer training is being reduced from 15 weeks to 12 weeks.

(168439)

299
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what changes will be made to Stage 2 police probationer training to facilitate the intended reduction of training from 15 weeks to 12 weeks.

(168440)

300
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which aspects of Stage 2 police probationer training will receive less time as a result of the intended reduction Stage 2 probationer training from 15 weeks to 12 weeks.

(168441)

301
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what effect the planned reduction of posts at Centrex will have on the provision of Stage 2 probationer training.

(168442)

302
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much in grant was paid to National Police Training and the Central Police Training and Development Authority in each year from 1997-98 to 2004-05.

(168443)

303
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what throughput of police recruits he expects at Stage 2 training during 2004-05; and what throughputs were achieved in each of the last three years.

(168444)

304
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Stalybridge and Hyde are receiving drug treatment; and what public funds were spent on tackling drugs misuse in Stalybridge and Hyde in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 2003-04.

(168734)

305
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much public funding has been spent on CCTV cameras in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168735)

306
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) overall recorded violent crime, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts has been in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168736)

307
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in full-time police officers in Stalybridge and Hyde has been since 1997.

(168737)

308
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Director General of the Prison Service will be responsible for setting charges for prisoner places for which he has responsibility under the new structure for the National Offender Management Service.

(168832)

309
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether each Governor will be responsible for setting charges for prisoner places for their own establishment under the new structure for the National Offender Management Service.

(168833)

310
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will be responsible for setting the cost to Regional Offender Managers for places in (a) public and (b) privately run prisons under the new National Offender Management Service structure.

(168834)

311
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans there are for the public sector prison service to become self financing under the new National Offender Management Service structure.

(168835)

312
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate has been made of the number of (a) male high security, (b) male category B, (c) male category C, (d) male category D, (e) male local, (f) male remand, (g) female local, (h) female closed, (i) female open, (j) male closed young offender institutions and (k) male open young offender institutions juvenile places that will be required in each of the 10 areas under the new National Offender Management Service structure in each of the next five years.

(168836)

313
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects the prison population to reach 80,000.

(168837)

314
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects the Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service to appoint the first Regional Offender Manager for the new service.

(168838)

315
Alan Simpson (Nottingham South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which areas have been selected to run regional pathfinders in order to test the proposed changes under the new National Offender Management Service; what the regional pathfinders are intended to test; and when they are due to start.

(168839)

316
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168675)

317
Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of applications for immigration were accepted in England and Wales were accepted in each year since 1997.

(168457)

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development

318
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much money has been given to (a) the UN Population Fund and (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(168171)

319
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in which countries the Government is supporting programmes run by (a) the UN Population Fund and (b) the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

(168172)

320
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on Government support for reproductive health programmes in Peru between 1990 and 2000.

(168173)

321
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when he last raised the issue of coercive population control in China with his Chinese counterpart; and with what results.

(168174)

322
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on the practice of coercive population control by the Chinese authorities on the people of Tibet.

(168179)

323
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of 19th April, Official Report, column 129W, on animal fodder, what his policy is towards developing countries which export cereals and animal fodder.

(168797)

324
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will assess the advantages and disadvantages of using the private finance initiative process to secure (a) air access for St Helena and (b) safe docking facilities for ships calling at St Helena.

(168383)

325
Mr Nigel Jones (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions his Department has had with each of the four bidders for St Helena's Air Access Project.

(168384)

326
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168686)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

327
David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost of running the Community Safety Unit in Northern Ireland has been since its formation; how much of this has been spent directly within communities through the Community Safety Unit Challenge funding; and if he will make a statement.

(168787)

328
Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much money was allocated by (a) the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, (b) the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, (c) the Ultach Trust and (d) Foras na Gaeilge towards the arts in each year since 1999.

(168559)

329
Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much public money was granted by (a) the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, (b) the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, (c) the Ultach Trust and (d) Foras na Gaeilge towards the publication of creative writing in the Irish language in Northern Ireland in each year since 1999.

(168560)

330
Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the change in the incidence of sexually transmitted infections was in each year since 2000 in each of the health and social services board areas in Northern Ireland, broken down by (a) age and (b) sex.

(168622)

331
Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much Core Gateway costs are for a two-week course at the East Antrim Institute in Northern Ireland.

(168623)

332
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to promote youth football in Northern Ireland.

(168470)

333
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the amount of Lottery Art Fund money being made available for the re-development of the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.

(168471)

334
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether measures to promote youth football in Northern Ireland are dependent on the implementation of the soccer strategy.

(168472)

335
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to protect (a) those on low incomes and (b) other vulnerable people from the impact of the introduction of water charging in Northern Ireland.

(168641)

336
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will support pilot schemes to promote water conservation amongst low income households and vulnerable people in order to reduce the impact of water charging.

(168642)

337
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to amend animal welfare legislation to introduce higher maximum sentences for those convicted of ill-treatment of an animal in Northern Ireland.

(168713)

338
N The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether ecclesiastical exemption applies to listed buildings in Northern Ireland.

(168011)

339
N The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many recipients of (a) sickness benefit, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) disability living allowance there were in Northern Ireland in the last three years for which figures are available.

(168012)

340
N The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Electoral Office has received complaints about malpractice following the latest Assembly Elections in Northern Ireland.

(168300)

341
The Reverend Martin Smyth (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety plans to give anti-TNFs to all patients for whom they are considered appropriate; and if he will make a statement.

(168631)

342
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168679)

Questions to the Prime Minister

343
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list the occasions since June 2001 when he last made a speech containing a significant section on (a) the environment and (b) terrorism-related matters.

(167788)

344
Mr Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton):To ask the Prime Minister, when the director of the CIA first advised the British Government not to use the allegation that Iraq could ready weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes.

(168617)

345
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Prime Minister, what matters in respect of (a) compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and (b) ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change were discussed during his meeting with President Bush on 16th April in Washington.

(168775)

346
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Prime Minister, what definition of national security is used by the Government.

(168789)

347
N Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Prime Minister, what representations he has (a) made to and (b) received from the European Commission on a referendum on the EU Constitution.

(167655)

348
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Prime Minister, how many letters he has received from members of the public in each year since 1997-98.

(168658)

Questions to the Solicitor General

349
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Solicitor General, whether she discussed with other ministerial colleagues a draft of the Attorney General's legal opinion on the legality of military action against Iraq prior to his presentation of the opinion to the Cabinet.

(168729)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

350
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will publish her response to the International Energy Agency's publication, Oil Crises and Climate Challenges.

(168636)

351
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether an assessment of the effects of fully privatising the Export Credits Guarantee Department was made before the decision that it should become a trading fund was taken.

(168650)

352
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many funeral directors are practising in the United Kingdom.

(168663)

353
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many complaints were made to the Director General of Fair Trading concerning the conduct of funeral directors in each year since 1997; how many such complaints were investigated by the Director General in each year; how many were upheld in each year; how many funeral directors have been banned as unfit to practise by the Director General of Fair Trading since 1997; and if she will publish the list of banned funeral directors.

(168665)

354
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the corporate social responsibility requirements of her Department's procurement policy.

(168670)

355
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many claims for compensation were made and how much Royal Mail Group paid in compensation in each year since 1997 in respect of (a) first class, (b) second class, (c) special delivery next day, (d) special delivery 9.00 am, (e) recorded signed for and (f) standard parcels mail which was (i) delayed and (ii) severely delayed; and how many claims were made, and how much was paid in compensation, in each year since 1997 for (A) damage to valuable mail, (B) consequential loss and (C) delay to bulk mailings.

(168671)

356
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many new businesses have started up in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168523)

357
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps the Government has taken to help small businesses in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168524)

358
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many new businesses have been established in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168525)

359
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps are being taken to improve trade between the United Arab Emirates and the UK.

(168573)

360
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many members of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability have worked in the private sector; and in what capacity.

(168447)

361
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what funds have been allocated to raising awareness of Business Link branded services among small businesses in each year since its inception; what the target was for the awareness level for each year; and what her estimate is of the current level of awareness among small businesses.

(168448)

362
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the planned (a) resource budget, (b) administration costs and (c) staff numbers are for 2004 of the Small Business Office in Brussels sponsored by her Department.

(168449)

363
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the (a) DEL resource budget, (b) AME resource budget and (c) total resource budget of her Department were for each year between 1997 and 2007.

(168608)

364
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment accompanying the Conduct Regulations for Employment Agencies.

(168610)

365
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total (a) staff numbers and (b) resource budget of the Departmental Regulatory Impact Unit has been since its inception.

(168611)

366
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many London Development Agency board members have (a) current and (b) recent business experience.

(168710)

367
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 6th April, Official Report, column 72W, on regulatory impact assessments, how many regulatory impact statements were issued separate from regulatory impact assessments by the Small Business Service in each year since its inception, with particular reference to the Evaluation of Regulatory Impact Assessments Compendium Report 2003-04, March 2004, pages 25-26.

(168712)

368
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what meetings Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of Scottish Power to discuss its proposed gas storage plant at Byley, Cheshire.

(168715)

369
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the effect on residents of Stalybridge and Hyde of new rights for night-shift workers.

(168743)

370
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the effect of the EU Social Chapter on the residents of Stalybridge and Hyde.

(168744)

371
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many workers in Stalybridge and Hyde have benefited from the national minimum wage.

(168745)

372
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps the Government has taken to help small businesses in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168746)

373
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many new businesses have started up in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168747)

374
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost was of withdrawing, reprinting and distributing the RMUK 530 AS leaflet, Mail Made Easy, containing the new postal rates; and if she will make a statement.

(168429)

375
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what evaluation has been made of the ideal skills mix of the Board of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC); what the selection criteria are for members of the board how and by whom appointments are made; what contribution CCLRC has made to implementation of the recommendations of the North West Science and Danesbury development group; what input CCLRC has made to the North West Science Strategy; and what targets and milestones have been set by CCLRC to progress the strategy.

(168584)

376
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what targets the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) has set for the commercial exploitation of intellectual property to stimulate regional growth in the North West; what CCLRC's vision is for collaboration with the North West Science Council; and how the CCLRC intends to work with the North West Regional Development Agency to generate regional economic growth.

(168630)

377
Helen Southworth (Warrington South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many workers in Warrington South have benefited from the national minimum wage.

(168704)

378
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168682)

379
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she expects to make an announcement on the future of the rural post office network subsidy.

(168226)

380
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) rural and (b) urban post offices have (i) closed and (ii) been opened since 1997.

(168227)

381
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the number of rural post offices protected from closure by the rural network subsidy.

(168228)

382
Tony Wright (Cannock Chase):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the Trustees of the Miners' Pension Fund protect (a) the pension and (b) the bonuses paid from inflation.

(168566)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

383
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to encourage vehicle manufacturers to undertake or fund research into designs for a fuel tank that would not allow diesel to spill onto the highway, even if over-filled.

(168612)

384
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will launch a campaign to raise awareness amongst commercial goods vehicle drivers of the risks that diesel spillage due to over-filled fuel tanks can cause to other road users, especially motorcyclists.

(168613)

385
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will support the campaign by The Road Users Campaign to Kill Diesel Spills to reduce the number of diesel spillages on British roads.

(168614)

386
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make non-spill fuel caps compulsory for all new diesel vehicles to prevent dangerous diesel spillages on the road.

(168615)

387
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the progress being made in improving disabled access to trains.

(168659)

388
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the decision of train operating companies to off-shore part of the National Rail Enquiries Service.

(168661)

389
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward the end date for inaccessible trains to 2020.

(168662)

390
Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the decision of Network Rail to postpone the installation of a radio system for drivers until 2015.

(168372)

391
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the percentage change in (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on the roads of Heywood and Middleton is since 1997.

(168546)

392
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided in Heywood and Middleton using public funds since 1997.

(168547)

393
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rural bus services in Heywood and Middleton are supported by rural bus grants.

(168548)

394
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Heywood and Middleton since 1997.

(168549)

395
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the effect of investment in railway improvements over the next 10 years upon residents of Heywood and Middleton.

(168550)

396
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Rail Review is expected to be completed; and when he plans to make a statement.

(167973)

397
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress is being made on the Department's strategy towards the implementation of green transport schemes.

(167974)

398
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the research evidence produced by studies made by the Department on the potential land value benefits of development within easy access of a railway station.

(168798)

399
N Mr John Horam (Orpington):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many peak-time train services serving (a) Chelsfield, (b) Knockholt and (c) Dunton Green (i) there are at present and (ii) are proposed by the Strategic Rail Authority in the Integrated Kent Franchise.

(167651)

400
N Mr John Horam (Orpington):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the passenger usage data for (a) Chelsfield, (b) Knockholt and (c) Dunton Green that the Strategic Rail Authority used in their consultation document on the Integrated Kent Franchise, broken down by (i) passengers buying season tickets and those not and (ii) passengers taking fast peak-hour trains to London and those taking slow, stopping trains in the peak period.

(167652)

401
N Mr John Horam (Orpington):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assumptions were made by the Strategic Rail Authority in the Integrated Kent Franchise document about (a) current and (b) future capacity in the peak-hour train services between Chelsfield, Knockholt, Dunton Green and London.

(167653)

402
N Mr John Horam (Orpington):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assumptions were made by the Strategic Rail Authority in the Integrated Kent Franchise about the number of peak-time passengers who will be diverted from (a) Chelsfield, (b) Knockholt and (c) Dunton Green to other stations because of the reduction in services; and what plans there are to (i) identify and (ii) address the consequences of diversion of passengers for (A) car parking and (B) disabled access.

(167654)

403
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will respond to the Transport Committee's Report on the Regulation of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicle Services in the UK.

(168587)

404
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168730)

405
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the percentage change in (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries on the roads of Stalybridge and Hyde has been since 1997.

(168731)

406
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the effect of investment in railway improvements over the next 10 years upon residents of Stalybridge and Hyde.

(168732)

407
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Stalybridge and Hyde since 1997.

(168733)

408
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisors and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168677)

409
Mr Paul Tyler (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority into cabin air quality considered the presence of (a) mono-ortho, (b) di-ortho and (c) other toxic isomers of tricresyl phosphate other than the ortho isomer in engine oil; and whether it considered evidence for a link between repeated low-level exposure to organophosphates and chronic neurotoxicity.

(168647)

410
Mr Paul Tyler (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority into cabin air quality took evidence from (a) doctors and (b) other medical experts who have studied the cases of crews and passengers affected by contaminated air exposure on commercial jet aircraft.

(168648)

411
Mr Paul Tyler (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether unions representing cabin crew members were consulted during the preparation of the recently published Civil Aviation Authority Report on cabin air quality.

(168649)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

412
Mr Harold Best (Leeds North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the trade associations which replied to the making the market work initiative, referred to in the second stage report of the review of employers' liability compulsory insurance.

(168660)

413
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the membership organisations of the Job Centre Plus Provider Liasion Group.

(168632)

414
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the effect of the EU Social Chapter on the residents of Heywood and Middleton.

(168530)

415
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the effect on residents of Heywood and Middleton of new rights for shift workers.

(168531)

416
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth employment in Heywood and Middleton over the last seven years.

(168539)

417
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents in Heywood and Middleton have gained work through the New Deal programme.

(168540)

418
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures have been introduced to improve the working conditions of disabled workers in Heywood and Middleton over the last seven years; and if he will make a statement.

(168542)

419
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mothers in Heywood and Middleton have taken up the Sure Start maternity grant.

(168543)

420
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from (a) the New Deal for lone parents and (b) the New Deal for Partners since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(168544)

421
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many senior citizens in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997.

(168545)

422
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 20th April, ref 165353, and his letters to the honourable Member for Portsmouth South undated and dated 29th March, refs PQ/03/98099 and PQ/03/97277, if he will explain the differences between the figures given.

(168643)

423
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Jobcentre Plus Provider Liaison Group was formed.

(168842)

424
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who the members are of the Jobcentre Plus Provider Liaison Group.

(168843)

425
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the main (a) function and (b) purpose is of the Jobcentre Plus Provider Liaison Group.

(168844)

426
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the selection process is for the membership of the Jobcentre Plus Provider Liaison Group.

(168845)

427
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how often and where the Jobcentre Plus Provider Liaison Group meetings take place.

(168846)

428
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what independent evaluation of the Pathways to Work pilot programme has been undertaken.

(168847)

429
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what role there is for (a) private companies and (b) voluntary organisations in the delivery of Pathways to Work.

(168848)

430
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many senior citizens in Stalybridge and Hyde have benefited from the winter fuel allowance since 1997.

(168738)

431
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mothers in Stalybridge and Hyde have made use of the Sure Start maternity grant.

(168739)

432
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the measures introduced to improve the working conditions of disabled workers in Stalybridge and Hyde over the last seven years.

(168740)

433
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents have gained work through the New Deal programme.

(168741)

434
James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth employment in Stalybridge and Hyde over the last seven years.

(168742)

435
Joyce Quin (Gateshead East & Washington West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of employees in his Department are in receipt of income-related benefits.

(168606)

436
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field, and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994-95, (B) 1996-97, (C) 1997-98 and (D) 2001-02.

(168681)

437
N Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average administrative cost was in 2003-04 of an appeal to a disability appeal tribunal on a disability living allowance decision.

(168017)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

438
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his forecast is of the expenditure on the childcare element of the working tax credit in 2004-05.

[Transferred] (168366)

439
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many workers in Heywood and Middleton have benefited from the national minimum wage.

[Transferred] (168528)

440
Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how long on average it has taken in the last 12 months for grandparents who become responsible for their grandchildren to be awarded child benefit for those grandchildren by the Child Benefit Centre once they have notified the Centre of these new responsibilities.

[Transferred] (168583)

Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs

441
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many solicitors provided legal aid in each legal aid area (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest time for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (168619)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

442
Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with providers of subsidies for child care places; and which three sources provided the highest subsidy for child care places in the latest year for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (168367)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

443
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information she has procured to establish the levels of residues from anti-depressant drugs in the (a) livers, (b) brains and (c) muscle of fish.

[Transferred] (167860)

444
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what studies she has undertaken to evaluate the risk of additional transportation of hazardous waste as a result of the closure of hazardous waste treatment centres.

[Transferred] (168373)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

445
Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many pharmacy and general practitioner prescribing projects are operating; how many people they cover; and what assessment he has made of their (a) influence on the numbers of people seeking treatment and (b) impact on the level of crime.

[Transferred] (168722)

446
Mr Michael Clapham (Barnsley West & Penistone):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of addicts in the UK using (a) class A drugs and (b) heroin in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (168723)

447
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Heywood and Middleton are receiving drug treatment.

[Transferred] (168538)

Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department

448
Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of risk the Government considers is involved in the national roll-out of Airwave.

[Transferred] (168382)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

449
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the effects of recent trends in investment in renewable energy and upon the residents of Heywood and Middleton.

[Transferred] (168434)

450
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many and what percentage of women in Heywood and Middleton have taken 26 weeks maternity leave since 1997.

[Transferred] (168529)

451
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Heywood and Middleton qualify for paid leave entitlements.

[Transferred] (168532)

452
Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Middleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many residents of Heywood and Middleton have benefited from a reduction of the maximum working week to 48 hours.

[Transferred] (168533)

453
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will take steps to ensure that the six areas of discrimination covered by the new Equality and Human Rights Commission are covered by equivalent requirements.

[Transferred] (168791)

© Parliamentary copyright 2004
Revised 23 April 2004