Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2004 - 05
Publications on the internet
The Questions Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 6 December 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 Monday 6 December 2004
(the 'Questions Book')

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 6 December 2004

This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Monday 6 December of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

For other Written Questions for answer on Monday 6 December of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper.

For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Monday 6 December see Part 2 of this paper.

Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office

1
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate she has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in the Office in each of the last two years.

(202310)

2
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis to the Office in each of the last two years.

(202311)

3
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will make a statement on energy costs incurred by the Office in each of the last two years.

(202312)

4
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) the Office, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which she has responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202313)

5
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by the Office in each of the last two years.

(202314)

6
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202315)

7
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the Office in each of the last two years.

(202316)

8
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost has been of criminal damage to the Office's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202317)

9
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total external spending by the Office was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by the Office over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202318)

10
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in her Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202319)

11
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what crèche facilities are provided by the Office; and at what cost.

(202320)

12
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Office's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202321)

13
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment she has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in the Office.

(202322)

14
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by the Office in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202323)

15
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to the Office that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202324)

16
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cases have been brought against the Office under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202325)

17
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the Office was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202326)

18
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by the Office and which took place on non-Office premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202327)

19
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total external spending by the Office was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by the Office over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202328)

20
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the Office was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202507)

21
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) instructions and (b) guidance her Department has issued to the Government Car Service concerning the procurement of ministerial cars, with particular reference to purchasing British-manufactured automobiles, where British models offer at least as good value-for-money as equivalent overseas models.

(202524)

22
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will make a statement on her Department's procurement policy with regard to ministerial cars manufactured by British firms.

(202565)

23
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will make it her policy to disclose prior to the first week of May 2005 her Department's estimate of the overall cost within its existing budget of the creation and maintenance of a separate Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

(201875)

24
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her policy is on using the services of (a) special advisers and (b) civil servants in her Department in relation to party political (i) fundraising campaigns and (ii) celebrity or other endorsements.

(202160)

25
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in her Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202758)

26
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her Answer of 29th November, Official Report, column 4W, on anti-war protesters, whether the three intruders who reached an office within the building were detected immediately on entering the building; and what measures are being put in place to prevent a similar incident in future.

(202828)

27
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what interventions have been made across Government departments to protect computer systems against the unwitting triggering of premium rate numbers through the internet.

(203209)

28
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) spouses and (b) other partners of Cabinet Ministers are subject to security vetting.

(202812)

29
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 Cabinet Office special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202245)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

30
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which G7 countries support the International Finance Facility.

(202664)

31
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to whom the International Finance Facility will be accountable.

(202665)

32
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretariat for the Commission for Africa regarding the International Finance Facility.

(202666)

33
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the (a) World Bank and (b) African Development Bank on the International Finance Facility.

(202667)

34
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with (a) UN agencies and (b) non-governmental organisations regarding the International Finance Facility.

(202668)

35
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) G7 and (b) G21 countries need to support the International Finance Facility for it to be launched.

(202669)

36
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who will assess the poverty reduction plans of recipient countries for them to receive funds from the International Finance Facility.

(202670)

37
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202487)

38
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in his Department in each of the last two years.

(202488)

39
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

(202489)

40
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202490)

41
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202491)

42
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202492)

43
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202493)

44
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202494)

45
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202495)

46
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total external spending by his Department on Private Finance Initiative consultants in each of the last two years was; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202496)

47
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202497)

48
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what crèche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost.

(202498)

49
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202499)

50
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202500)

51
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202501)

52
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202502)

53
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost to his Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202503)

54
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years, giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202504)

55
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total external spending by his Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202505)

56
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in his Department.

(202506)

57
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ministers in other departments, (b) representatives of other member states and (c) the European Commission regarding the quality of accounting practices in the EU institutions.

(202660)

58
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place the review of prescription charges undertaken in 1998 as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review in the Library.

(203066)

59
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202550)

60
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to (a) the IMF and (b) the World Bank concerning (i) debt write-off and (ii) a donor conference for Angola.

(203129)

61
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many children there were in workless households in each local authority in the Northern Way Initiative area in each year from 1998 to 2004; and what percentage of children these figures represent in each year.

(202678)

62
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people over 65 were in employment in each metropolitan authority and county area in the North East region in each year from 1997 to 2004.

(202680)

63
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of 50 to 65 year olds were economically inactive in (a) the North East region, and (b) each (i) metropolitan authority and (ii) county area within the North East Region in each year from 1997 to 2003.

(202681)

64
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Office for National Statistics did not supply sufficient data to the OECD for their 2003 PISA survey; and if he will make a statement.

(203174)

65
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which official in his Department was responsible for collating data for the OECD PISA survey 2003.

(203176)

66
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202391)

67
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress is being made in removing the administration of tax credits for employers; and when he expects to implement this change.

(203167)

68
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost of collection of (a) national insurance, (b) income tax, (c) capital gains tax and (d) inheritance tax has been in each year since 1997.

(203213)

69
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many recipients of working tax credit have been credited for underpayments in the last 12 months and subsequently told that the underpayment recalculations were wrong.

(203214)

70
Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many unfilled job vacancies there were in Strathkelvin and Bearsden in the last period for which figures are available.

(202544)

71
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the cost to public funds of a 24 year old man (a) drawing invalidity benefit and disability living allowance but not entering employment for 40 years, assuming 2004 prices and current benefit rates and (b) the contribution to public funds of a 24 year old man working for 40 years, assuming average earnings and current tax rates.

(202857)

72
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which of the Departmental Efficiency Technical Notes (ETN) required by the report, Releasing Resources to the Frontline - Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency, were submitted to (a) the National Audit Office and (b) the Audit Commission for scrutiny; on what date each first draft was submitted for scrutiny; how many submissions of subsequent drafts there were for each ETN, broken down by department and on what dates each were submitted; on what date each was signed off by the (i) National Audit Office and (ii) Audit Commission; if he will make a statement on the nature of the outstanding concerns of the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission over those ETNs not yet signed off; and when he expects sign-off to be achieved.

(203158)

73
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many unfilled job vacancies there were in Pendle in the last period for which figures are available.

(203039)

74
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people with a shortfall in earnings for national insurance contributions were not sent a deficiency warning notice in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

(202268)

75
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of families have been overpaid working tax credit due to incorrect assessment by the Inland Revenue in each of the last two years.

(202281)

76
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202168)

77
Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has reviewed the Gateway process following analysis of failures in the Child Support Agency system and process change programme; and if he will make a statement.

(202902)

78
Mr David Trimble (Upper Bann):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the levels of (a) gross domestic product per head expressed as a percentage of the UK average and (b) average weekly earnings are in Northern Ireland .

(202865)

79
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202248)

80
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what research he has commissioned on the incidence of use of ATM machines by (a) pensioners and (b) benefit recipients in areas in the immediate vicinity of closed former sub-post offices.

(202547)

81
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the employment rate is of women in couples where the woman's partner (a) does not work and (b) does work.

(203166)

82
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what total expenditure on the working tax credit was in 2003-04, broken down between (a) the working tax credit itself and (b) the childcare tax credit.

(203240)

83
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what total expenditure on the child tax credit was in 2003-04, broken down between (a) the family element, (b) the child element and (c) other elements.

(203242)

84
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much expenditure on (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit in 2003-04 was (i) offset for the purposes of public expenditure calculations payments of income tax and (ii) counted as public expenditure.

(203268)

85
N Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Paymaster-General will reply to the letter of 10th November from the honourable Member for Spelthorne, about a constituent, Miss K. McDermott.

(202735)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

86
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by the Duchy in each of the last two years.

(202389)

87
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the total cost to the Duchy was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202470)

88
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) PFI projects in the Duchy offices for each of the last two years.

(202471)

89
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for Duchy administrative staff in each of the last two years.

(202472)

90
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by the Duchy administration in each of the last two years.

(202473)

91
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by the Duchy in each of the last two years.

(202474)

92
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the cost of refurbishing his Ministerial Private Office was in each of the last two years.

(202475)

93
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the cost of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department for staff in each of the last two years.

(202476)

94
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202477)

95
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the total external spending by the Duchy on Private Finance Initiative consultants was in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by the Duchy over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202478)

96
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what his target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202479)

97
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what crèche facilities are provided by the Duchy for its administrative staff; and at what cost.

(202480)

98
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the Duchy's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202481)

99
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in the Duchy.

(202482)

100
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by the Duchy in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202483)

101
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the total cost to the Duchy was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202484)

102
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by the Duchy and which took place on non-Duchy premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202485)

103
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the total external spending by the Duchy was on public private partnership consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by the Duchy over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202486)

104
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202404)

105
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many meetings of each Cabinet committee of which he is a member have been held since his appointment; and how many of these meetings he has attended.

(201874)

106
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what his policy is on using (a) the services of civil servants, (b) departmental e-mails and (c) the services of his special adviser for party political fundraising.

(202158)

107
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether (a) his special adviser and (b) civil servants who report to him have sent e-mails in respect of (i) fundraising and (ii) celebrity or other endorsement purposes to Ministers or their advisers since his appointment.

(202159)

Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs

108
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202553)

109
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make a statement on progress with Project Eagle, to make UK law more accessible to people who need advice through enhanced computer technology.

(202977)

110
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make court transcripts available for cases involving honourable Members' constituents to honourable Members free of charge.

(203106)

111
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202392)

112
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make it his policy to allow the televising of trials.

(203038)

113
N Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in the Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202154)

114
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, by what methods charters establishing non-departmental public bodies may be revoked.

(202786)

115
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25th November, on section 45 code of practice of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Official Report, column 7WS, whether the Department has received any representations on this announcement; and whether the Department conducted a public consultation prior to making the announcement.

(202808)

116
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many appeals against closure of magistrates' courts there were in each of the last three years.

(202296)

117
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if it is his policy to make legal aid available to youths who seek to challenge anti-social behaviour orders; and if he will make a statement.

(202931)

118
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many people have applied for legal aid in order to challenge anti-social behaviour orders; and how many have been granted legal aid.

(202976)

119
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202255)

120
N Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many people work for the magistrates' courts services (a) in Wales and (b) in England, broken down by workplace.

(202007)

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

121
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202329)

122
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in her Department in each of the last two years.

(202330)

123
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for her Department in each of the last two years.

(202331)

124
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on energy costs incurred by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202332)

125
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) her Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202333)

126
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202334)

127
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost of refurbishing each Ministerial Private Office was in the last two years.

(202335)

128
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202336)

129
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost has been of criminal damage to her Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202337)

130
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total external spending by her Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202338)

131
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in her Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202339)

132
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what crèche facilities are provided by her Department; and at what cost.

(202340)

133
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202341)

134
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in her Department.

(202342)

135
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by her Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202343)

136
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to her Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202344)

137
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many cases have been brought against her Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202345)

138
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total cost to her Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202346)

139
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-Departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202347)

140
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total external spending by her Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202348)

141
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what target her Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by her Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202555)

142
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the contributions of black film to the UK film industry; and what support is given by her Department.

(203135)

143
Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding the Heritage Lottery Fund has provided for the refurbishment of parks in Liverpool since 1997, broken down by (a) park and (b) organisations to which funding was made.

(203042)

144
N Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the budget to set up the proposed Gambling Commission will be found from within the departmental budget for 2005-06.

(202062)

145
N Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Reform and Modernisation Funding Budget for (a) 2005-06 and (b) future years within the National Museum and Galleries division of her Department has been (i) partially and (ii) fully diverted elsewhere.

(202063)

146
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her most recent estimate is of the number of sports clubs that will face an increase in their licensing fees as a result of the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003; and what estimate she has made of the average percentage increase in the size of the licensing fees to be paid by sports clubs following the implementation of the Act.

(202797)

147
Jim Knight (South Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has for funding (a) Olympic and (b) Paralympic athletes up to 2008.

(202740)

148
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list her official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans she has to establish a public register of such information.

(202406)

149
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what effect the Treasury's requirement for efficiency savings at English Heritage will have on that body's work in the next three years.

(203117)

150
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what percentage of Great British Olympians and Paralympians (a) medal winners and (b) squad members were educated at secondary level within the state system; and what the figures were for the previous Olympics.

(202918)

151
N James Purnell (Stalybridge & Hyde):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the progress made by Creative Partnerships towards the Government's plans to offer a universal cultural entitlement to all children and young people.

(199733)

152
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will estimate the cost of exempting student-only houses from paying the television licence fee.

(202567)

153
N Hugh Robertson (Faversham & Mid Kent):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £750 million pledged by the Prime Minister to school sport has been (a) committed and (b) spent.

(202718)

154
N Hugh Robertson (Faversham & Mid Kent):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what action she is taking to reduce the costs of compliance with the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 for sports and community clubs.

(202719)

155
N Hugh Robertson (Faversham & Mid Kent):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the target for participation in school sport is in (a) the UK, (b) France, (c) Germany, (d) Spain, (e) Italy, (f) Denmark and (g) Sweden.

(202741)

156
N Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in her Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202153)

157
Ms Debra Shipley (Stourbridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when Patrick Carter's report on the Government's proposed National Sports Foundation will be published.

(202526)

158
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the trend in the number of people participating in boxing over the last five years.

(202295)

159
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to change the (a) membership and (b) constitution of the British Board of Film Classification; and if she will make a statement.

(202297)

160
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202262)

161
Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in which Muslim newspapers the Department advertises; and what kind of advertising the Department places in Muslim newspapers.

(202907)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence

162
N Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force National Council Report of 10th July 1998 for the health liability claims of British servicemen who served in the Pacific Region in the 1940s and 1950s; and if he will make a statement.

(201740)

163
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202557)

164
Mrs Anne Campbell (Cambridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of opportunities for research and consulting disseminated by his Department resulted in (a) research reports and (b) physical deliverables in (i) 2001-02, (ii) 2002-03 and (iii) 2003-04.

(202180)

165
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for a replacement for the Trident missile system; and if he will make a statement.

(203133)

166
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what research is being undertaken by his Department on possible replacements for the Trident submarine fleet; and if he will make a statement.

(203134)

167
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects British Forces Post Office to vacate their site at Mill Hill, Inglis Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

(202972)

168
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of the policy of moving Royal Navy operations from open seas to a littoral environment; and if he will make a statement.

(202790)

169
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) regulations and (b) procedures are applicable in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) Royal Air Force, following the death in service of individual personnel, governing (A) who decides which personal items are not returned, (B) how personal possessions are returned to the next of kin, (C) where the items which are not returned are stored, for how long, and under whose responsibility and (D) what information is given to the next of kin about personal items which are not returned.

(203102)

170
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) regulations and (b) procedures are applicable in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) Royal Air Force, following the death in service of individual personnel aged under 18 years of age, governing contacting (A) next of kin and (B) parents.

(203103)

171
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the development of the Global Corvette programme; and what he estimates the budget for this programme to be.

(202981)

172
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultations his Department has had with Environmental Tectonics Corporation regarding that company's involvement in the Authentic Tactical Flight Simulator project.

(202982)

173
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to instal a human centrifuge at the purpose-built site at RAF Henlow; and what he estimates the costs to be.

(202983)

174
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department made a payment to Environmental Tectonics Corporation in respect of their legal costs, in addition to the stage payments and the termination payment made to Environmental Tectonics Corporation, in connection with the cancelled RAF Centrifuge project.

(202984)

175
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what part human centrifuge technology will play in the proposed Authentic Tactical Flight Simulator project; and what he estimates the cost of this project to be.

(202985)

176
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he expects the UK contribution to the European Rapid Reaction Force to be Future Rapid Effect System equipped when that vehicle family enters service.

(202986)

177
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to what extent the changes to the Army's force structure is linked to preparations for the Future Rapid Effect System and the development of a medium force.

(202987)

178
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department has made to the Greek Government regarding the export of Typhoon aircraft.

(202989)

179
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202402)

180
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202759)

181
N Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Mutual Defence Agreement with the United States to be renewed.

(202006)

182
Richard Ottaway (Croydon South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Oral Statement of 24th November, Official Report, column 108W, on Iraq, when the Iraqi Interim Government decided on the method of election for the forthcoming elections.

(202975)

183
N Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel have been (a) disciplined, (b) court martialled and (c) dismissed for improper financial claims relating to fraud since 1997.

(202064)

184
N Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officers and (b) other armed forces personnel have been disciplined for the misuse of official cars since 1997.

(202183)

185
N Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish guidance issued by his Department to admirals speaking at dinners to celebrate Trafalgar Day this year.

(202793)

186
N Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list (a) the approved strength and (b) the actual strength of each of the infantry battalions.

(201593)

187
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of each Scottish infantry regiment are (a) Scottish, (b) from elsewhere in the United Kingdom and (c) from overseas.

(202572)

188
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what controls govern the intellectual property rights developed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency following its transfer to QinetiQ, with particular reference to confidentiality commitments placed on QinetiQ staff who leave its employ.

(202765)

189
Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the consequences of the changes sought in the Ministry of Defence's Winter Supplementary Estimate are; what the reasons for the changes are; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the revised spending plans on (i) budgets and (ii) departmental targets.

(202265)

190
Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations the Adjutant General has made to him on (a) the funding of and (b) the number of instructors available in the army training camps.

(202266)

191
Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the financial position of the Army Training and Recruitment Agency.

(202267)

192
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British subjects are employed by the US Navy operations in London.

(202301)

193
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of consultation letters sent, and replies received, on the date of celebration of the 60th anniversaries of VE and VJ days; and if he will make a statement on the process leading to the choice of a single date.

(202701)

194
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202261)

195
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date he decided to change his decision on not disbanding or amalgamating infantry battalions.

(202197)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

196
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202450)

197
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in his Department in each of the last two years.

(202451)

198
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

(202452)

199
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202453)

200
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202454)

201
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202455)

202
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202456)

203
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202457)

204
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202458)

205
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total external spending by his Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202459)

206
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202460)

207
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what crèche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost.

(202461)

208
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202462)

209
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in his Department.

(202463)

210
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202464)

211
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying the (a) title and purpose of each, (b) cost to public funds of each and (c) cost to businesses of each.

(202465)

212
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202466)

213
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total cost to his Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202467)

214
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202468)

215
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total external spending by his Department was on public private partnership consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202469)

216
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, for what reason the public inquiry into the realignment of the A3 at Hindhead has been adjourned; when he expects the inquiry to end; and on what date he expects the inspector to report.

(203077)

217
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when a decision will be announced in respect of the Public Inquiry into the A303 strategic improvement.

(203078)

218
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the current average waiting time is between the making of a planning appeal and the announcement of the outcome; what action is being taken to reduce waiting times; and what sanction is being applied to the Planning Inspectorate for failure to meet its targets.

(203079)

219
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, on what date he expects the outcome of the public inquiry into the Bathside Bay Container terminal to be announced.

(203080)

220
N Tony Cunningham (Workington):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make it his policy to postpone changes to the local government pension scheme until after the consultation for a new scheme to be introduced in April 2008 has been completed.

(201664)

221
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what progress has been made since the completion of the consultation process on the implementation of the provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 relating to high hedges; and if he will make a statement.

(202628)

222
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to make an announcement on the exceptions policy for rural housing; and for what reasons an announcement has not yet been made.

(203104)

223
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the viability of the One + One + One policy for providing a mixture of housing for rent, for sale and shared ownership in rural exception sites.

(203105)

224
Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what consultation is required before declaration of a renewal area.

(203044)

225
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list, by council, voluntary sector grants awarded in the last three years.

(202915)

226
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list the councils which have introduced older people's champions.

(202916)

227
Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many shared ownership properties were sold in Southwark in each year since 1997; and how many of those properties were purchased by someone who was (a) already in social housing in that area, (b) on the single housing register in that area and (c) a key worker.

(202969)

228
Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will provide a breakdown of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 2004-06 Approved Development programme by (a) one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed or more.

(202970)

229
Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will provide a breakdown of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 2004-06 Approved Development Programme by (a) conventional shared ownership, (b) key worker shared ownership, (c) Homebuy and (d) other forms of low cost home ownership.

(202971)

230
N Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total cost was of the activities perfomed by the Electoral Commission in connection with (a) the regional referendum in the North East and (b) preparation for the referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

(201812)

231
Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many staff are employed by the Government Offices for the Regions; and how many have been seconded from Government departments, broken down by department.

(202978)

232
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many and what size properties were released by nominees from London boroughs to the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04, broken down by local authority.

(202920)

233
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many applicants were on the waiting list for a nomination to a property under the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme on (a) 1st April 2003 and (b) 1st April 2004.

(202921)

234
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the average length of time was between an application for rehousing under the Seaside and Country Homes Scheme and nomination to a property in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04.

(202922)

235
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the London Housing Board's decision to invest £15 million for building new affordable housing outside London.

(202923)

236
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many cash incentive scheme grants were made by each local authority in London in 2003-04; and what the total value of these grants was in each authority.

(203136)

237
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many cash incentive scheme grants have been made in each Government Office region in each year since 2001-02; and what the total value was of these grants in each region.

(203137)

238
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the impact of Statutory Instrument No. 986/2003, deregulatory section 129 of the Housing Act 1988.

(203138)

239
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202405)

240
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202760)

241
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the estimate of average council tax per dwelling in England in 2004-05 of £967 includes a measure of the effect of council tax benefit in reducing the amount of council tax paid.

(202290)

242
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will list each foreign country he has visited on an official visit since 1997, broken down by date.

(202574)

243
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the (a) average, (b) greatest and (c) smallest proportion of tenants on the arm's-length management company is where a housing stock transfer has been achieved using an arm's-length management company.

(202299)

244
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what guidance he has given to councils seeking housing stock transfers to an arm's-length management company (ALMC) on the proportion of (a) tenants and (b) nominees on the Board of the ALMC; and if he will make a statement.

(202300)

245
Mr Robert Syms (Poole):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with the Department for Education and Skills to ensure that training courses for electricians are in place in preparation for the commencement of Part P of Building Regulations.

(202979)

246
Dr Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the costs were of rebilling residents in the counties of Hereford and Worcester following the capping of the Fire Authority's funding; and whether this cost will have an effect on services.

(203110)

247
Jon Trickett (Hemsworth):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what representations he has received about installing re-set fuse boxes in council-owned properties; and if he will make a statement.

(202569)

248
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202263)

249
Richard Younger-Ross (Teignbridge):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will estimate when the location of 95 per cent. of calls will be available to fire control centre staff.

(202746)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

250
N Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students aged 18 years entered higher education in the academic year 2004-05 who were resident in (a) the City of Manchester and (b) Manchester, Withington constituency.

(201926)

251
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202554)

252
N Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202175)

253
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which local education authorities issue fines to schools for permanent exclusion.

(202973)

254
Michael Fabricant (Lichfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) average primary formula spending share per pupil and (b) average secondary formula spending share per pupil is in each local education authority in 2005-06, listed in descending order of secondary formula allocations.

(202671)

255
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what reasons were given by the schools in England which refused to take part in the OECD PISA 2003 survey for their decision not to take part.

(203171)

256
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what reasons were given by schools which took part in the OECD PISA 2003 survey for excluding certain pupils from the survey.

(203172)

257
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1st December, Official Report, column 147W on International Student Assessment Study, what the response rate of (a) schools and (b) pupils in the sample of English schools selected was for (i) the OECD PISA survey 2000 and (ii) the OECD PISA survey 2003.

(203216)

258
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when and by whom his Department was informed of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202616)

259
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will take action to prevent the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202617)

260
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received concerning the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University from (a) the Royal Society of Chemistry, (b) the South West Regional Development Agency, (c) companies operating in the South West and (d) others; and if he will make a statement.

(202618)

261
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Higher Education Funding Council about the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University.

(202619)

262
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans (a) the Government and (b) the Higher Education Funding Council have to intervene to prevent the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University.

(202620)

263
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if the Higher Education Funding Council will change the funding formulae to provide Exeter University with more money for undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202621)

264
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans the Higher Education Funding Council has to change the funding formulae for financing undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202622)

265
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in (a) the Department for Trade and Industry and (b) the Treasury about the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202623)

266
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of whether adequate alternative provision will be made for the undergraduate chemistry students if the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision proceeds as planned; and what discussions he has had with the Vice Chancellor of the university concerning such provision.

(202624)

267
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when the Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter informed his Department of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202625)

268
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether his Department has been informed of university chemistry departments other than that at Exeter University that may be in financial difficulty.

(202626)

269
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he proposes to take to prevent the closure of undergraduate chemistry provision in universities.

(202627)

270
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202629)

271
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the impact of closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision on the Government's 10-Year Investment Framework for Science and Innovation; and if he will make a statement.

(202899)

272
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when the Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter informed his Department of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202644)

273
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether his Department has been informed of university chemistry departments other than that at Exeter University that may be in financial difficulty.

(202645)

274
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he proposes to take to prevent the closure of undergraduate chemistry provision in universities.

(202646)

275
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202647)

276
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when and by whom his Department was informed of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202648)

277
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will take action to prevent the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202649)

278
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received from (a) the Royal Society of Chemistry, (b) the South West Regional Development Agency, (c) companies operating in the South West and (d) others concerning the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University; and if he will make a statement.

(202650)

279
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Higher Education Funding Council about the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University.

(202651)

280
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans (a) the Government and (b) the Higher Education Funding Council has to intervene to prevent the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University.

(202652)

281
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if the Higher Education Funding Council will change the funding formulae to provide Exeter University with more money for undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202653)

282
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans the Higher Education Funding Council has to change the funding formulae for financing undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202654)

283
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in (a) the Department for Trade and Industry and (b) the Treasury about the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202655)

284
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of whether adequate alternative provision will be made for the undergraduate chemistry students if the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision proceeds as planned; and what discussions he has had with the Vice-Chancellor of the university concerning such provision.

(202656)

285
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision on the Government's 10-Year Investment Framework for Science and Innovation.

(202694)

286
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202407)

287
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, with which companies (a) producing and (b) distributing video games he has held discussions on financing educational facilities.

(203119)

288
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many special school places are available in Gloucestershire; and where they are located.

(203181)

289
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in special schools in Cheltenham have previously been in mainstream schools.

(203182)

290
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many pupils were educated in special schools in Gloucestershire in each of the last eight years.

(203183)

291
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the future provision of special school places in Gloucestershire.

(203184)

292
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the extent of bullying in schools; and if he will make a statement.

(203194)

293
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he expects to publish a report on the results of his investment of £27 million in volunteering by students announced in 2000.

(203200)

294
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what projects have been undertaken as a result of the £27 million investment for volunteering by students he announced in 2000; and how the cost effectiveness of that investment will be assessed.

(203201)

295
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what schemes to counter bullying have received public funding in the last seven years.

(203202)

296
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when the Minister for Children will acknowledge the letter sent to her by the Lowe Syndrome Trust.

(203270)

297
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much will be spent per head of child population by the Children's Commissioner for England in 2005-06.

(203277)

298
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he expects to confirm the appointment of a Children's Commissioner for England.

(203278)

299
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the duties of independent schools will be under the terms of the Children Act 2004.

(203279)

300
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who is responsible for the (a) education and (b) welfare of children permanently excluded from schools; and how these responsibilities will be be monitored under the terms of the Children Act 2004.

(203280)

301
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of (a) teachers and (b) other school staff in England are from (i) other EU countries, (ii) Commonwealth countries and (iii) other countries.

(202991)

302
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of his Department's budget he expects will be spent on (a) schools, (b) under-fives provision and (c) the teaching of A levels or highers in each year from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

(202739)

303
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people are employed by the Office for Fair Access; what the running cost of the Office was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on its future.

(203112)

304
N Hugh Robertson (Faversham & Mid Kent):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many qualified physical education teachers were teaching in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in 2004; and what the figures were for 1997.

(202720)

305
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what Government-funded research is being undertaken of the effects on academic performance linked of an increase in sport activity.

(202571)

306
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of examinees failed the GCSE in each of the last 10 years in (a) physical education, (b) history, (c) mathematics and (d) physics.

(202294)

307
Jon Trickett (Hemsworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on student loans for students who are on NHS-funded courses.

(202568)

308
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202260)

309
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether prospective students who are required to undertake a one-year foundation course prior to commencing an art degree in 2006 will be liable to pay top-up tuition fees for their art degree; and if he will make a statement.

(202017)

310
Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the local authorities which applied for wave (a) 2 and (b) 3 of the Building Schools for the Future programme whose bids were not accepted for prioritisation; and if he will make a statement.

(202291)

311
Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps have been taken to recruit foreign language teachers for primary schools.

(202909)

312
Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list head teachers by (a) race and (b) gender in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each local education authority.

(202910)

313
Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much is being spent on pupil referral units in 2004-05; and what plans he has for (a) creating more pupil referral units and (b) increasing capacity at existing ones.

(202911)

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

314
Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to help fixed income and low paid households in the south west of England pay increased water charges.

(202947)

315
Mr Richard Bacon (South Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) pork, (b) bacon and (c) ham sold in UK supermarkets is (i) British produced and (ii) bears the Meat and Livestock Commission's Quality Standard Mark.

(203124)

316
Mr Richard Bacon (South Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the size of the UK pig herd was in (a) 1994, (b) 1999 and (c) 2004.

(203126)

317
Mr Richard Bacon (South Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations her Department has received regarding the impact of pork imports on domestic pig production.

(203157)

318
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202349)

319
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in her Department in each of the last two years.

(202350)

320
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for her Department in each of the last two years.

(202351)

321
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on energy costs incurred by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202352)

322
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) her Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202353)

323
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202354)

324
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202355)

325
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202356)

326
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost has been of criminal damage to her Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202357)

327
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total external spending by her Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202358)

328
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in her Department to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202359)

329
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what crèche facilities are provided by her Department; and at what cost.

(202360)

330
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202361)

331
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in her Department.

(202362)

332
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by her Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202363)

333
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to her Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202364)

334
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases have been brought against her Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202365)

335
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to her Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202366)

336
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-Departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202367)

337
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total external spending by her Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202368)

338
N Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many homes in the Manchester, Withington constituency have benefited from the home energy efficiency and warm front schemes.

(201925)

339
N Mrs Angela Browning (Tiverton & Honiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Northumberland Trading Standards video of Burnside Farm at the time of the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak was not submitted to the Anderson Inquiry.

(202764)

340
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what target her Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by her Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202562)

341
N Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in her Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202171)

342
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many motor vehicles have been abandoned in Greater London in each of the last three years.

(202729)

343
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce recycling targets for local authorities to cover (a) the recycling of commercial waste and (b) home composting; and if she will make a statement.

(202179)

344
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the Department's response to the recently published Bright Report on genetically modified organisms; and how this will inform policy on co-existence.

(202578)

345
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on what discussions she has had with the dairy industry on the impact of increased production costs on dairy farmers.

(202661)

346
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Environment Agency is taking to hold back water in the upper reaches of the Thames.

(201869)

347
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to dredge the upper reaches of the Thames.

(201870)

348
N Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has for reform of land ownership in England.

(202060)

349
N Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to publish the results of her consultation on four-wheel drive vehicles and access to the countryside on By-ways open to all traffic.

(202061)

350
N Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she approved the article by the Parliamentary Private Secretary, the honourable Member for the Wrekin which appeared in the Sunday Telegraph on 21st November.

(202100)

351
Mr Michael Jack (Fylde):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by how much carbon dioxide emissions have changed in each year of the operation of the climate change levy.

(203045)

352
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list her official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans she has to establish a public register of such information.

(202396)

353
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons she does not envisage a level playing field for the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for shipping and aviation.

(202198)

354
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what technology her Department uses to monitor the spread of turkey manure.

(203096)

355
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Biomass Task Force will report to her Department; and when her Department will report the results of the Biomass Task Force to the House.

(203097)

356
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 spread of odour from turkey manure.

(203098)

357
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures her Department is taking to control the spread of odour from turkey manure.

(203099)

358
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the membership is of the (a) Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards, (b) Zoos Forum, (c) Advisory Committee on Pesticides and (d) Farm Animal Welfare Council; what the (i) cost of salaries and expenses to members and (ii) running costs of each body were in the last year for which figures are available; and how many staff are employed to service each body.

(203100)

359
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people are employed by the National Forest Company; what its running cost was in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement on its future.

(203101)

360
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information she has received from the Environment Agency in respect of the number of determinations of sites as contaminated under Part 11A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

(202809)

361
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evaluation she has made of the threat of flooding to Sellafield from the River Calder; and what assessment she has made of the relevant flood maps produced by the Environment Agency.

(202811)

362
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) requirement and (b) statutory guidance is (i) in place and (ii) planned for a borough council to have an established procedure for dealing with complaints about a statutory nuisance.

(202538)

363
N Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost of flood prevention schemes undertaken since 1997 was, broken down by county.

(199783)

364
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202259)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

365
N Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is regarding UK nationals detained abroad being extradited or transferred to a third country which may inflict the dealth penalty.

(201704)

366
N Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when (a) he and (b) his officials received information from US (i) counterparts and (ii) security agencies concerning attempted coups in Equatorial Guinea during the last 18 months.

(201705)

367
N Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what dates within the last 18 months (a) his Department and (b) the security services received information, including electronic information, concerning attempted coups in Equatorial Guinea.

(201706)

368
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Association of South East Asian Nations regarding the role that organisation should play in the improvement of ethnic equality in Burma.

(202859)

369
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken by his Department to press for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from prison in Burma.

(202860)

370
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the roadmap to democracy in Burma put forward by the Government of Thailand.

(202861)

371
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action the Government is taking through (a) the European Union and (b) the United Nations to improve the political situation in Burma.

(202864)

372
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether Rwandan troops have crossed into the Democratic Republic of Congo despite the presence of a UN peacekeeping force in the country.

(202390)

373
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) opposition parties and (b) civil organisations in the Ukraine regarding reports of voting irregularities in the recent election.

(202518)

374
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of the Ukraine on the importance of respecting democratic values.

(202519)

375
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions were held at the recent EU-Russia Summit on the need to (a) respect human rights and (b) uphold democratic values.

(202520)

376
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has held with the Government of Thailand on improving the human rights record of the Government of Burma before it hosts the 2006 ASEAN Summit.

(202799)

377
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the reports that the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi has been extended by the newly appointed Prime Minister of Burma, General Soe Win.

(202800)

378
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Burma to ask for the release of the campaigner, Win Tin.

(202801)

379
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Uzbekistan about its obligations under the (a) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and (b) Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

(202802)

380
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan about (a) respect for the ceasefire in Darfur, (b) protection of civilians in the internally-displaced persons camps and (c) obligations under the United Nations international human rights treaties, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

(202804)

381
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received about the Government of Burma's decision to release more than 9,000 prisoners; and what assessment he has made of reports of the numbers of those released that were political detainees.

(202816)

382
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Burma about the need to (a) respect human rights and (b) uphold their obligations under the (i) Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and (ii) Convention on the Rights of the Child.

(202827)

383
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reason Burmese state-owned enterprises with particular reference to Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise have not been included within the sanctions comprised by Annex II of the Council Common Position on Burma 2004/730/CFSP and Annex IV of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004.

(202850)

384
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1st December, Official report, columns 174-5W, on Hamas, if he will list the governments and other parties on the ground which conveyed soundings and impressions between the EU High Representative and Hamas stating in each case whether they acted at the specific request of (a) the High Representative and (b) his officials; and under what authority these requests were made.

(202787)

385
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made in the week prior to 1st December to (a) the EU High Representative, (b) other governments and (c) other parties regarding contacts with Hamas.

(202788)

386
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202564)

387
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what UK representations there will be at the 2005 Non Proliferation Treaty review conference; and what proposals they will put forward.

(203128)

388
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what UK representatives will attend the 2005 meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission; and what consultation he will undertake with non-governmental groups that have recognised UN status in advance of the meeting.

(203130)

389
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings he has attended with (a) honourable Members, (b) Chagos Islanders and (c) other organisations on matters relating to the Chagos Islands since 10th June; and what the nature of the discussion at those meetings was.

(203131)

390
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what percentage of the Iraqi population are classified as Christians; and how many Christian organisations from outside Iraq are working within Iraq.

(201473)

391
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Christians in Iraq; and what steps the Iraqi authorities are taking to ensure their safety.

(201474)

392
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the conflict in the Niger Delta; and what discussions he has had with the Government of Nigeria on seeking a peaceful outcome.

(203127)

393
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to warn UK nationals of possible legal challenges to purchases of properties in the northern part of the island of Cyprus; and what his Department's policy is on (a) the ownership of properties constructed on illegally occupied land in the northern part of the island of Cyprus and (b) compensation to be paid in respect of such properties.

(202794)

394
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will (a) obtain from the British High Commission in Nicosia and (b) place in the Library the names and addresses of British companies engaged in the construction or marketing of properties in the occupied territory of Northern Cyprus.

(202795)

395
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will take steps to ensure that UK companies are not engaged in the construction or marketing of properties on land in the northern part of Cyprus legally owned by Greek Cypriots and mis-appropriated.

(202796)

396
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of holding separation ballots in the Ukraine for the stability of that country and the region.

(202932)

397
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further diplomatic steps the UK Government is taking to ensure that political stability and democracy in the Ukraine is maintained.

(202933)

398
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the UK Government plans to give to ensure that elections are both fair and transparent as judged against international electoral standards, in the event of a re-run of the elections in the Ukraine.

(202934)

399
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Government of the United Arab Emirates and (b) the Government of Saudi Arabia on the operation of Islah in the UK.

(202935)

400
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department is offering to the Government of Saudi Arabia to assist with reforms to governance and stability in the region.

(202936)

401
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Israeli Government and (b) the Palestinian Authority regarding the Palestinian elections.

(202937)

402
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the route change to the Israeli Security Wall recently approved by the Israeli Defence Minister.

(202938)

403
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made of the effect the new Security Wall route will have on the living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank.

(202939)

404
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made of the effect that the re-routing of the Security Wall in the West Bank will have on Israeli's security.

(202940)

405
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage discussions between the Israeli Government and Palestinian Authority on withdrawal from Gaza.

(202941)

406
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports the UK Government has received since 1998 about breaches of the IAEA inspection regime of yellowcake production in Niger.

(203053)

407
Andy King (Rugby & Kenilworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan concerning the deaths in police custody of (a) Nasir Masih and (b) Samuel Masih.

(203219)

408
Andy King (Rugby & Kenilworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan concerning rapes and assaults committed upon minority women and girls in Pakistan, with particular reference to the Christian girls named Neha and Sharee Komal assaulted in April and May respectively.

(203220)

409
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202393)

410
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202757)

411
N Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of a renewal of the Mutual Defence Agreement with the United States.

(202005)

412
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance has been given by the UK Government to the Columbian armed forces.

(203123)

413
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps (a) the Government, (b) the European Union and (c) the United Nations Security Council are taking to support and promote peace talks in Uganda; and if he will make a statement.

(202527)

414
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has held with the Sudanese Government regarding the threatened expulsion of aid agencies working in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

(202528)

415
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations have been made by the Government to the Government of Burma to release (a) all political prisoners in Burma and (b) Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest; and if he will make a statement.

(202529)

416
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is making to encourage the peace process in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

(202530)

417
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the United Nations Committee on Torture's conclusions in relation to the UK's adherence to the Convention against Torture in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(202531)

418
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the most recent International Atomic Energy Agency's report on South Korea's enrichment of uranium and plutonium.

(202532)

419
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps (a) the Government, (b) the European Union and (c) the United Nations Security Council are taking to prevent the deterioration of relations between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

(202533)

420
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to recognise the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the Republic of Macedonia; and if he will make a statement.

(202534)

421
Mr Ken Purchase (Wolverhampton North East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to meet his Iranian counterpart to discuss the UN call for human rights reform in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

(202897)

422
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Ukrainian election result on the wider region.

(201863)

423
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the legitimacy of the Ukrainian election result.

(201864)

424
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions have taken place between the Government, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the EU regarding the Ukrainian election result.

(201865)

425
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the legal framework for dealing with the detainees at Guantanamo Bay and other United States detention centres, with particular reference to the detention of British citizens at Guantanamo Bay.

(202756)

426
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has been made of the report of the United Nations Secretary-General's high level panel on threats, challenge and change, published on 2nd December.

(202807)

427
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the establishment of staff at the British Embassy in Thailand is; how many posts are filled; and how many staff are involved in assisting British tourists needing assistance in Thailand.

(201742)

428
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions British Embassy staff in Thailand have had with the (a) Prime Minister, (b) Foreign Minister, (c) Chief Prosecutor and (d) Chief of Police of Thailand in relation to the killing of Vanessa Arscott of Ashburton.

(201743)

429
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what financial assistance his Department provides to families of British citizens killed abroad to assist with (a) legal and (b) other costs.

(201744)

430
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will appoint a specific member of staff in the British Embassy in Thailand to deal with the Vanessa Arscott case.

(201745)

431
Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Chinese Government over their treatment of the people of Tibet, with particular regard to the death sentence on Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche; and if he will make a statement.

(203139)

432
Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he had made to (a) the Zimbabwean Government and (b) the international community concerning the imprisonment of the Zimbabwe MP, Roy Bennett.

(202943)

433
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202258)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

434
N Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 29th November, ref 199923, what the whole-time equivalent figure for the period September 2003 to March 2004 was; and what estimates his Department has made of further headcount and whole-time equivalent increases between March 2004 and 2008.

(202166)

435
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of the population has been registered with an NHS dentist in (a) England and (b) each primary care trust in each year since 1997.

(203055)

436
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the connection between the level of deprivation in an area and the quality of its primary care facilities; and if he will place in the Library the research and evidence on which this assessment is based.

(203056)

437
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of primary care premises are over 30 years old.

(203057)

438
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) total budget and (b) administration budget was for each (i) NHS region in each year from 1997 to 2002 and (ii) strategic health authority in each year since they were established.

(203058)

439
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department makes available to encourage dentists to join the NHS; and whether there are conditions attached to the funding to encourage dentists to remain within the NHS.

(203059)

440
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) average and (b) maximum time was that a patient waited for a first dermatology outpatient appointment in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement

(203060)

441
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the income to be received by his Department from pre-payment certificates for prescription charges in real terms in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08, (d) 2008-09 and (e) 2009-10.

(203061)

442
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to date of NHS Professionals.

(203062)

443
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what targets have been set by his Department on increasing generic prescribing in the community; what progress has been made in meeting these targets; and what savings have been made as a result.

(203063)

444
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his latest estimate is of the community generic prescribing rate; and if he will estimate how much the NHS in England would save if community generic prescribing levels increased to 80 per cent.

(203064)

445
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of hospitals have ward housekeepers in place in the NHS in England.

(203065)

446
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what performance standard has been set for processing an application by the General Social Care Council; how long it has taken on average in the last period for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

(203067)

447
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202559)

448
Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what public scrutiny takes place of the spending of primary care trusts top-sliced for private operations.

(202579)

449
Mrs Patsy Calton (Cheadle):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of primary care trust funds in each strategic health authority area are top-sliced for private operations.

(202580)

450
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many elective admissions there were in each year for 1996-97 to 2003-04 in the Newcastle upon Tyne Primary Care Trust area; and how many of those admissions had been waiting for (a) up to three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to nine months, (d) nine to 12 months and (e) 12 months or more.

(202679)

451
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many finished consultant episodes there were in the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital's Trust in each year since its formation.

(202682)

452
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mixed-sex wards there are in hospitals in Greater London; and if he will make a statement.

(202732)

453
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average size is of general practitioners' lists in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

(202733)

454
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were diagnosed with asthma in (a) England, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) Stroud constituency in (i) 1974, (ii) 1980, (iii) 1990, (iv) 2000 and (v) the latest year for which figures are available.

(202774)

455
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made in using patients diagnosed with particular conditions as a bank of advice and counselling for those recently diagnosed with the same condition.

(202775)

456
Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding has been made available for health services in Liverpool in each year since 1997.

(203043)

457
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what stage the review of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health has reached; and if he will make a statement.

(201719)

458
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the general practitioner consultation and referral rates were for musculoskeletal diseases, including pain management, but excluding osteoarthritis in each English primary care trust in the last year for which figures are available; what the population served by each English primary care trust is; and if he will make a statement.

(202525)

459
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans there are to assist the least well-qualified staff in health and social care, in particular through the Skills Escalator.

(202762)

460
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will break down by age recipients of NHS bursaries for nurse training in each year since 2000.

(202763)

461
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the report of the Programme Budget Project Group will be published.

(202231)

462
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Department will be able to assess expenditure in individual cases for each primary care trust.

(202232)

463
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make available through cancer networks financial audits of the last week of life of cancer patients.

(202233)

464
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will adjust cancer targets to indicate quality of life and managed death indicators.

(202234)

465
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the varying provision which local authorities make for assisting carers.

(202914)

466
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implementation of No Secrets guidance by local authorities.

(202917)

467
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list, by primary care trust, how many people had received the (a) flu and (b) pneumonia vaccine by 30th November.

(202942)

468
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of social workers had registered with the General Social Care Council by 1st December.

(202948)

469
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Wycombe Primary Care Trust has recently withdrawn funding from Wycombe Mind.

(201866)

470
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust and Wycombe Primary Care Trust has recorded changes made to the provision of services by charities and voluntary groups to people with mental health problems in south Buckinghamshire.

(201867)

471
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representation Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust and Wycombe Primary Care Trust has received about the recent closure of the Fixiquip programme.

(201868)

472
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to include goats milk in the infant token scheme.

(203016)

473
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on his plans to support those who are diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis.

(203017)

474
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the results of his most recent meeting with the Scottish Health Minister on bringing in foreign dentists to Scotland.

(203054)

475
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has recently (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of the (i) Food Supplements Directive and (ii) Traditional Herbal Medicines Directive on the British food supplements industry; and if he will make a statement.

(202241)

476
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will seek to negotiate a derogation from (a) the Food Supplements Directive and (b) the Traditional Herbal Medicines Directive.

(202792)

477
Mr Jon Owen Jones (Cardiff Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many independent sector treatment centres have contacts with the NHS; and what assessment he has made of their impact on (a) patient care and (b) quality of life.

(202575)

478
Mr Jon Owen Jones (Cardiff Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there has been a reduction in NHS waiting lists in the areas in which independent sector treatment centres are operating.

(202576)

479
Mr Jon Owen Jones (Cardiff Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there has been a reduction in the number of NHS patients opting for private treatment in areas of the country where independent sector treatment centres are operating.

(202577)

480
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202400)

481
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dentists there are in each county in England per 10,000 of the population; how many accept NHS patients; and what the figures were in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

(202691)

482
Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the iron intake of children to prevent childhood anaemia; and what assessment he has made of the incidence of childhood anaemia in the last 20 years.

(202230)

483
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding has been made available in each primary care trust area for upgrading or rebuilding general practitioner surgeries.

(203120)

484
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many placements have been secured through NHS Professionals to date, broken down by (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) allied professionals.

(203125)

485
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will publish the Code of Practice to accompany the draft Mental Health Bill.

(203185)

486
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what basis he has calculated that the draft Mental Health Bill will not lead to any net increase in compulsory admissions.

(203186)

487
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proposals he has to expand the school nurse service.

(203187)

488
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many school nurses have been employed in each of the last 10 years.

(203188)

489
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many MIND facilities in England have had their public funding reduced for 2004-05.

(203189)

490
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health facilities have (a) closed down and (b) run skeletal services due to cuts in Government funding in 2003-04 or forecast for 2004-05.

(203190)

491
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many graduate mental health workers (a) were employed in 2004 and (b) need to be recruited in 2005-06 to meet Government targets.

(203191)

492
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made on the review of services for children with scoliosis and spinal deformity; when he expects this work to be completed; and how the recommendations of this review will be taken forward.

(203193)

493
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people suffering from mental illness have been referred to NHS Smoking Cessation programmes.

(203195)

494
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of how the proposals on banning smoking in enclosed public places will affect NHS mental health facilities.

(203196)

495
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the increase in prescribing of atypical anti-psychotic drugs as a proportion of anti-psychotics since the publication of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance recommending atypicals is in line with his forecasts and targets.

(203197)

496
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions have taken place between the National Institute for Mental Health England and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) regarding the implementation of NICE guidelines on the management of schizophrenia.

(203198)

497
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has commissioned on the cumulative effects of multiple mobile phone/Tetra masts on the health of people living nearby.

(203199)

498
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nursing posts in the NHS are funded by pharmaceutical companies, broken down by trust and the companies involved.

(203203)

499
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the general practitioner surgeries in the Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust areas which will receive funding allocations to improve or renew premises in 2004-05; by how much each will benefit; and for what improvements each allocation has been made.

(203204)

500
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on hospitals employing nurses and doctors funded wholly or in part by pharmaceutical companies.

(203205)

501
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many babies have contracted MRSA in each of the last five years.

(203206)

502
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice he has issued about the efficacy of the MMR vaccination for preventing mumps after 10 years from the date of vaccination.

(203210)

503
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have contracted mumps in each of the last five years; and how many were minors.

(203211)

504
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the reconfiguration of maternity services at the Royal Free Hospital.

(203212)

505
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what priorities he has set for the National Director for Mental Health, with particular reference to the implementation of patient choice.

(203217)

506
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken to replace the mental health counselling services in Harrow provided by MIND following the closure of that facility.

(203218)

507
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money has been invested in paediatric services at the Cheltenham General Hospital since 1997.

(203243)

508
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional ambulance services will be available to transport child patients to the Gloucester Royal Hospital if proposals to transfer dedicated round-the-clock children's services at the Cheltenham General Hospital go ahead.

(203244)

509
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what improvements in ambulance services in Gloucestershire have taken place since 1997.

(203245)

510
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children have been treated at the Battledown Ward of Cheltenham General Hospital in each year since 1997.

(203246)

511
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children are diagnosed each year with Lowe Syndrome in England.

(203271)

512
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding streams are available to organisations seeking to research medical treatment for rare diseases.

(203272)

513
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what treatment options are available to children born with Lowe Syndrome.

(203273)

514
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the life expectancy is of a child born with Lowe Syndrome.

(203274)

515
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the causes are of Lowe Syndrome.

(203275)

516
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has commissioned into Lowe Syndrome.

(203276)

517
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the use of locum doctors under the new out-of-hours arrangements for general practitioners in North Yorkshire.

(202537)

518
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the costs of increasing availability of NHS Plus services described in the Choosing Health White Paper.

(202270)

519
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what initiatives are being assessed by the Government to achieve the aim of improving the quality of jobs by reducing monotony, increasing job control and applying appropriate human resources practices and policies, referred to in the Choosing Health White Paper.

(202272)

520
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the cost of the commitment to provide access to an employment adviser for everyone with severe mental health problems made in the Choosing Health White Paper.

(202273)

521
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of (a) the availability of employment advice and Individual Placement Support to people with severe mental health problems, (b) the demand for access to employment advice for people with severe mental health problems and (c) the number of people with severe mental health problems who do not have access to an employment adviser.

(202274)

522
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what schemes (a) are in place and (b) are being assessed by his Department to encourage employers to use temporary job modifications to help people back to work, as referred to in the Choosing Health White Paper.

(202275)

523
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dentists he expects to recruit from (a) Poland, (b) Germany, (c) Denmark and (d) Spain in 2004-05.

(202276)

524
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with which countries his Department is in discussion regarding the recruitment of overseas dentists to work in the UK; and how advanced these discussions are in each case.

(202277)

525
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the recruitment agencies used to recruit dentists from (a) Poland, (b) Germany, (c) Denmark and (d) Spain; and what the cost of using them has been.

(202278)

526
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when discussions with the governments of (a) Poland, (b) Germany, (c) Denmark and (d) Spain on the recruitment of dentists began.

(202279)

527
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department will take to audit NHS Plus services.

(202280)

528
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether small businesses will be the subject of vexatious litigation arising from the proposal to challenge discrimination against people with mental health difficulties, referred to in the Choosing Health White Paper; and what discussions he has had with other Government departments in making this assessment.

(202826)

529
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of NHS (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) other staff are from (i) other EU countries, (ii) Commonwealth countries and (iii) other countries.

(202990)

530
Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional resources are being made available to the Commission for Healthcare Improvement to reduce the length of time it is taking to obtain decisions on appeals referred to the Commission; and if he will make a statement.

(202912)

531
Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if, when he next meets the Chairman of the Commission for Healthcare Improvement, he will impress upon him the need to speed up decisions on healthcare reviews.

(202913)

532
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost was to each health authority of providing medical assistance as a result of accidents on the road in which alcohol was a contributory factor in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(202906)

533
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what expenditure is planned for the NHS in each financial year from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

(202734)

534
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are employed by (a) the Human Tissue Authority and (b) the Commission for Public and Patient Involvement in Health; what the running cost of each body was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the future of each body.

(203113)

535
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dentists in Lancashire have received grants to establish and equip their practice in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(203040)

536
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the introduction of the National Programme for IT computer system into the NHS.

(202951)

537
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the estimated cost is of introducing the National Programme for IT into the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

(202952)

538
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what choice users of the National Programme for IT in the NHS will have of software suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

(202953)

539
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what use will be made of existing computer systems when the National Programme for IT system is introduced into the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

(202954)

540
N Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202157)

541
Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to encourge diabetic patients to report adverse reactions to (a) human and (b) animal insulin treatments to the Committee on the Safety of Medicine.

(202662)

542
Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the known side effects of (a) human and (b) animal insulin in the treatment of diabetes; and if he will ensure a drug reporting system is in place to monitor abnormalities arising from such treatments.

(202663)

543
N Mr Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date he expects the Greater Manchester Surgical Centre to open.

(201871)

544
N Mr Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the impact on hospitals in Greater Manchester of the Greater Manchester Surgical Centre.

(201872)

545
N Dr Richard Taylor (Wyre Forest):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the costs, including the fee for the radiologists report, of MRI scans performed in (a) private sector mobile MRI scanners and (b) NHS static scanners.

(202184)

546
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202257)

547
Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research he has commissioned on the possible impact on the incidence of side effects of over-the-counter sales of statins.

(202548)

548
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what NHS expenditure (a) in total and (b) per person on (i) children aged under five, (ii) children aged five to 18, (iii) men aged 18 to 60, (iv) women aged 18 to 60, (v) women aged over 60 and (vi) men aged over 60 years, or on whatever other basis of gender and age is available, was in the last year for which figures are available.

(203165)

Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department

549
N Mr Peter Atkinson (Hexham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1997, and at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202749)

550
Tony Baldry (Banbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his letter of 15th September to the honourable Member for Banbury, if his Department will confirm the immigration status of Amer Ali.

(202573)

551
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research has been carried out into the cost to benefit ratio of experimental animal testing for the purposes of household products.

(202833)

552
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to restrict the most severe forms of experimental animal testing for the purpose of household products.

(202834)

553
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what requirements are placed by his Department on UK companies to justify the experimental testing of animals for the purposes of household products.

(202835)

554
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action is being taken to limit the number of experimental animal tests carried out for the purposes of developing household products.

(202836)

555
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many experimental toxicity tests on animals have been carried out in the UK in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(202837)

556
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202563)

557
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many drug-related deaths have occurred amongst inmates in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last three years.

(202730)

558
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of gun crime have taken place in Greater London in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

(202731)

559
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for leave to remain were processed after (a) 20 days, (b) 40 days, (c) 60 days, (d) 80 days, (e) 100 days and (f) more than 100 days; and what percentage of the total number of applications each of these represented in each year since 1997.

(203221)

560
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for leave to remain were processed within 20 days, and what percentage of the total number of applications this represented, in each year since 1997, broken down by the type of application.

(203222)

561
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many security warnings have been issued by the Home Office since 1997.

(203224)

562
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the (a) names, (b) functions and (c) relationship to him of the people in whose visa applications (i) he and (ii) his private office have been involved.

(203225)

563
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions (a) he and (b) his private office have been directly involved in visa applications to his Department.

(203226)

564
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he requested that a policeman be stationed outside Kimberley Quinn's home.

(203227)

565
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he used his official phone line to contact Kimberley Quinn.

(203228)

566
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Senior Director of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in charge of Managed Migration was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12th May 2003.

(203229)

567
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Senior Director of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in charge of Asylum Support, Casework and Appeals was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12th May 2003.

(203230)

568
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12th May 2003.

(203231)

569
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has ever discussed Kimberley Quinn with the Foreign Secretary.

(203232)

570
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Minister of State for Citizenship and Immigration was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12th May 2003.

(203234)

571
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Permanent Secretary of the Department was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12th May 2003.

(203235)

572
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the (a) names and (b) functions of non-government employees who have accompanied him on (i) rail journeys, (ii) plane journeys and (iii) journeys in his ministerial car since 1997.

(203236)

573
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions members of the Home Secretary's office staff met with (a) Mrs Quinn and (b) her representatives.

(203237)

574
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Home Office representatives have met (a) Mrs Quinn and (b) her representatives in an official capacity; and what were the (i) reasons for, (ii) times of and (iii) locations of each of these meetings were.

(203238)

575
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Secretary has different levels of security depending on whether he is on ministerial, constituency or private business.

(203241)

576
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has ever contacted any foreign embassy to inquire about travel documents for any other foreign nationals.

(203247)

577
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish details of the occasions on which Mrs Quinn visited his Department.

(203248)

578
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions Mrs Quinn travelled in the Home Secretary's car without him; if he will list the (a) origin, (b) distance and (c) destination of those trips; on how many of these occasions documents were also taken in the car; and whether those documents were of time-sensitive importance.

(203249)

579
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with (a) US security officials and (b) UK security officials regarding security alerts at (i) Newark Airport, (ii) JFK Airport and (iii) Dulles-Washington Airport in (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004; what public information was available regarding any such security alerts; and what discussions he has had with non-government employees regarding such security alerts.

(203250)

580
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish Leoncia Casalme's Home Office documentation file, subject to redaction to ensure Ms Casalme's privacy.

(203251)

581
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of his Department's officials were aware that Leoncia Casalme's visa application had been read by the Home Secretary or was in some way connected to him.

(203252)

582
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Leoncia Casalme's indefinite leave to remain was granted before the four year qualifying period had elapsed.

(203253)

583
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) the Home Secretary and (b) his officials (i) made, (ii) recommended and (iii) suggested changes to Leoncia Casalme's visa application form.

(203254)

584
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the decision to put Leoncia Casalme's application into the fast-track scheme was made.

(203255)

585
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were put into the official visa fast-track scheme.

(203256)

586
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average wait for a visa has been under the new fast-track scheme.

(203257)

587
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the first visa was awarded under the fast-track scheme to clear the backlog.

(203258)

588
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many indefinite leave to remain visa applicants were told that they would have to wait and were then awarded those visas under his Department's official fast-track scheme to clear the backlog in 2003.

(203259)

589
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for indefinite leave to remain based on the four-year qualifying residency period were eligible for the new fast-track scheme in 2003.

(203260)

590
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time for an indefinite leave to remain visa based on the four-year residency requirement period was in the last period for which figures are available.

(203261)

591
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many indefinite leave to remain applications have been refused for not fulfilling the four-year residency requirement in each year since 1997, broken down by month.

(203262)

592
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many indefinite leave to remain visas on the basis of the four-year residency requirement were granted in total in each year since 1997, broken down by month.

(203263)

593
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many indefinite leave to remain visas have been granted before the end of the four-year residency requirement period in each year since 1997, broken down by month.

(203264)

594
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) median, (b) shortest and (c) longest length of time taken to complete the processing of a visa application has been since 1997.

(203265)

595
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average visa application took in the latest period for which figures are available.

(203266)

596
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications have been (a) made and (b) approved in each year since 1997, broken down by month and type of visa.

(203267)

597
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been (a) applied for and (b) granted by the courts in Gloucestershire, broken down by local authority area, in each year that ASBOs have been in effect.

(202657)

598
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what entitlement British nationals who are long-term residents abroad will have to the identity cards proposed by the Government.

(202658)

599
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there has been a review of the Anglia Water contract for hostel facilities.

(202686)

600
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been received about the Anglia Water contract for hostel facilities from those hostels, broken down by category of complaint.

(202687)

601
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact the Sentencing Guidelines Council is likely to have on the size of the (a) probation and (b) prisons caseload over the next five financial years.

(202688)

602
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) role, (b) aim and (c) purpose will be of the criminal justice intervention panels; and when they will be fully functional.

(202689)

603
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the guidance set out in HM Treasury Green Book was followed in regard to the decision to reintroduce market testing to the Prison Service.

(202690)

604
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British police officers are seconded to duty in Iraq; what their expected tour of duty is; and what arrangements have been made to cover their operational duties in the UK during their absence overseas.

(202798)

605
N Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of the (a) adult and (b) total population of the UK held a passport in each of the last 20 years.

(202193)

606
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effects on the fitness of police cadets of the shortening of the basic training period; and if he will make a statement.

(203020)

607
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the amount of time senior police officers spent providing information for Government Regional Offices in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(203021)

608
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effects of the changes in the regime for local authority funding on the ability of Kent Police to meet their crime reduction target; and if he will make a statement.

(203022)

609
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent meetings he has had with (a) the police, (b) internet service providers, (c) overseas crime enforcement agencies and (d) others on violent internet pornography; and if he will make a statement.

(202239)

610
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to bring forward further proposals to control access to violent pornography on the internet.

(202240)

611
Mr Jimmy Hood (Clydesdale):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason it was not possible to respond to the Question tabled on 26th October by the honourable Member for Clydesdale concerning the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of 25th to 26th October before Prorogation.

(202523)

612
Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will place in the Library guidance to police forces followng the publication of an ethnic breakdown of stop and search under the Terrorism Act 2000 on 2nd July.

(202974)

613
Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were received from April 2003 to April 2004 in (a) the Greater London Area and (b) the United Kingdom.

(202846)

614
Glenda Jackson (Hampstead & Highgate):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for indefinite leave to remain were granted within 19 days during the period April 2003 to April 2004.

(202881)

615
Jim Knight (South Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the South Dorset constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the South Dorset constituency.

(202726)

616
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will respond to the Report of the Committee on the draft Charities Bill.

(202725)

617
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202395)

618
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research he has evaluated on the possible effects of Tetra mast signals on (a) breathalysers, (b) speed cameras, (c) lawnmowers, (d) computers and (e) pacemakers.

(203116)

619
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what action has been taken by Sussex Police consequent on their meeting with Linda Henderson and Amanda Williams-Gater on Friday 24th January 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(202776)

620
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the progress of the re-investigation into the murder of Mr Richard Watson; and by whom it is being conducted.

(202777)

621
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what grounds the Chief Constable of Sussex rejected the complaint of Mrs Linda Henderson and declined to record it under section 69(1) of the Police Act 1996; and if he will review this decision under his powers as Home Secretary.

(202778)

622
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what apology was given by Sussex Police to Linda Henderson and Amanda Williams-Gater; to whom in the press it was made available; and when.

(202779)

623
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the full report of the Metropolitan Police investigation into the Sussex Police investigation of the murder of Mr Richard Watson has been published; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

(202780)

624
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether disciplinary action against the Senior Investigating Officer responsible for the investigation into the murder of Mr Richard Watson was considered by Sussex Police following the investigation by the Metropolitan Police into Sussex Police's handling of the case; and if he will make a statement.

(202781)

625
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Detective Chief Inspector S. Dennis of Sussex Police formally referred to the Crown Prosecution Service papers relating to the murder of Mr Richard Watson.

(202782)

626
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the senior investigating police officer overseeing the inquiry into the murder of Mr Richard Watson retired from Sussex Police; and if he will make a statement.

(202783)

627
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date Sussex Police received the report of the investigation by the Metropolitan Police into the conduct of the investigation by the Sussex Police into the murder of Mr Richard Watson; and if he will make a statement.

(202784)

628
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities (a) sought and (b) pursued to a successful conclusion in court the (i) greatest and (ii) lowest number of anti-social behaviour orders in 2003-04.

(202856)

629
N Mr Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the evidence of the Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing, Community Safety and Counter-Terrorism to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 26th October, on what research his estimate of the number of items of police paperwork reduced since 1997 was based; and if he will make a statement.

(200991)

630
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of chip and pin technology on levels of fraud.

(202992)

631
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people he estimates will (a) purchase a passport for the first time and (b) renew their passport in each of the next 10 years.

(202993)

632
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners were held (a) two to a cell designed for one and (b) three to a cell designed for two at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many category C and D prisoners are being housed in dormitory accommodation.

(202996)

633
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether penalties are imposed on contracted out prisons for exceeding overcrowding limits.

(202997)

634
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) the target and (b) the actual number of drug rehabilitation places available in each prison in England and Wales is.

(203023)

635
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the proportion of pensioners who own a passport.

(203024)

636
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the outcomes of the UK Passport Services Personal Identification Project; and if he will make a statement.

(203025)

637
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what services are provided by the voluntary sector in contracted-out prisons; and if he will make a statement.

(203026)

638
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which private prison companies the Commissioner for Correctional Services has met in the last 12 months.

(203027)

639
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who owns the land on which each London prison is built.

(203028)

640
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions in the last two years (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have met (i) Aurora Computer Services Ltd and (ii) other companies involved in providing biometric technology.

(203029)

641
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what research he has conducted into the potential benefits of a national identity database for combating (a) crime and (b) illegal immigration; and if he will make a statement.

(203030)

642
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the research programme of the Identity Cards programme team.

(203031)

643
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the use of facial recognition systems by police forces; and what assessment he has made of their impact in (a) securing convictions and (b) reducing crime.

(203032)

644
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private sector (a) secondees and (b) consultants are employed by the Identity Cards Programme Team, broken down by company.

(203033)

645
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) staff from his Department, (b) staff from other Departments and (c) private sector secondees are employed in the development of the Identity Cards programme.

(203034)

646
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the external consultants which have carried out work as part of the Identity Cards programme.

(203035)

647
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted by the courts in Lancashire, broken down by local authority area, in each year since their introduction.

(203041)

648
N Mr John Randall (Uxbridge):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget of the West London Community Cohesion project was in each year since it was initiated; and how much in each year has been (a) spent and (b) allocated.

(202011)

649
N Mr John Randall (Uxbridge):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the costs are of each project funded by the West London Community Cohesion Pathfinder programme in the last 24 months.

(202012)

650
N Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers since 1997 have been disciplined for the improper use of police motorcars.

(202182)

651
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will extend Criminal Injuries Compensation Board payments to include British citizens who are killed abroad.

(201746)

652
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been fined under the offence of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving; how many people have contested the fines; and what revenue has been raised through fines, broken down by (a) month and (b) police authority region.

(202283)

653
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) reported thefts and (b) convictions for theft (i) of motor cars, (ii) of motorcycles, (iii) of motorcycle parts and (iv) from vehicles there were in each police authority in each of the last five years.

(202284)

654
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children are being held in detention solely under Immigration Act powers; and how many of these have been held for more than 28 days in each removal centre.

(202684)

655
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children have been held in detention solely under Immigration Act powers since his announcement that children will not be detained for more than 28 days without ministerial consent; and how many of these have been held for more than 28 days in each removal centre.

(202685)

656
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for exceptional leave to remain in 2003 were determined (a) within one month of the date of application, (b) within two to six months, (c) within seven to 12 months, (d) within 13 to 24 months and (e) not within 24 months.

(202980)

657
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202256)

658
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the locations of Tetra base stations operational in the region covered by the Sussex Police Force.

(202903)

659
N Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what facilities are being made available to Sir Alan Budd to (a) see papers and (b) question individuals in connection with the inquiry into the conduct of the Home Secretary; and under what statutory authority these facilities will be made available.

(202178)

660
N Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what statutory authority Sir Alan Budd will carry out his inquiry into the conduct of the Home Secretary.

(202631)

661
N Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Sir Alan Budd will be remunerated for carrying out his inquiry on the conduct of the Home Secretary.

(202632)

662
N Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will (a) print, (b) publish and (c) pay for the report to be produced by Sir Alan Budd on the conduct of the Home Secretary.

(202633)

663
N Mr Peter Viggers (Gosport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who is reimbursing the expenses of Sir Alan Budd in connection with his inquiry into the conduct of the Home Secretary.

(202750)

664
Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley & Golders Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that legislation concerning children's interests applies equally to children in prison and children in asylum detention centres, following the recent judgment in Regina (on behalf of the Howard League for Penal Reform) v Secretary of State for the Home Department.

(203014)

665
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices have been issued under section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 to Royal Mail employees for cycling illegally on footpaths in each year since 1997.

(203163)

666
Tony Wright (Cannock Chase):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cyclists were prosecuted for crossing red lights in the latest year for which figures are available.

(202702)

Questions to the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission

667
N Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what qualifications the Chief Executive of the House of Commons Service has to fulfil his duties as Chief Executive.

(201811)

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development

668
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to assist humanitarian agencies in overcoming obstruction of the delivery of assistance to displaced persons on the border between Thailand and Burma.

(202858)

669
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate the Government has made of the number of people that remain displaced from their homes in the eastern regions of Burma; and if he will make a statement.

(202862)

670
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what action his Department is taking to ensure that ethnic minorities in Burma (a) are protected from violence and (b) have access to humanitarian assistance.

(202863)

671
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans are in place to ensure that food aid, if required in Zimbabwe over the next few months, is distributed fairly on the basis of humanitarian needs.

(202818)

672
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to establish a long-term recovery and development strategy to combat food shortages in Malawi.

(202819)

673
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will estimate for each country in southern Africa in the period between now and the next harvest (a) how many people will have insufficient food, (b) what the country's overall food surplus or deficit will be and (c) how much food aid has been pledged by donors.

(202851)

674
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to promote cash-based and income generating initiatives in place of food aid in southern Africa.

(202852)

675
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government takes to ensure that responses to short-term food deficits in southern Africa do not undermine longer term development.

(202853)

676
Hugh Bayley (York, City of):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps (a) his Department and (b) other donors are taking to source food aid for southern Africa from local suppliers.

(202854)

677
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the UN Food Programme's decision to suspend operations in Darfur; and what steps have been taken to meet the needs of the people who are out of reach of aid workers as a result.

(202803)

678
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the decision of Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs Commission to expel the country directors of Oxfam and Save the Children; and what the implications are for the provision of food relief in Darfur.

(202817)

679
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which countries have been the top 20 recipients of (a) UK and (b) EU food aid in the last year; what tonnages of food each country received, broken down by food type; and what proportion of each food type was locally produced in each country.

(203013)

680
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202552)

681
N Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202173)

682
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202394)

683
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that UK Government assistance to Colombia excludes the funding of government-sponsored agencies or groups that are known human rights abusers.

(203115)

684
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what his plans are for archiving each of the programmes in the Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy in accordance with the Public Records Act 1958.

(202286)

685
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance his Department is giving to Liberia, with particular reference to farmers who grow rubber.

(203069)

686
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance his Department (a) provides and (b) plans to provide to (i) Armenia, (ii) Azerbaijan and (iii) Georgia to remediate contaminated industrial land; and what assessment he has made of the recent combined report on this matter by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Environment Programme.

(202815)

687
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202254)

Questions to the Leader of the House

688
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Leader of the House, how many Government amendments were accepted in the House of Lords in the last session.

(202298)

689
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Leader of the House, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 his special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202252)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

690
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what account is taken of claims of intimidation in applications for social housing in Northern Ireland; what assessment has been made of (a) the level of applications which claim intimidation and (b) the timescale for applications which claim intimidation; and if he will make a statement.

(203046)

691
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make it his policy that (a) the Government and (b) organisations supported by the Government will direct no settlement or compensatory payment to the UDA, their members or associates.

(203047)

692
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Irish medium schools there are in Northern Ireland; what their average cost is in 2004-05; and what percentage their pupils make up of the total school population, broken down by Northern Ireland Education Board area.

(203048)

693
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average (a) pupil/teacher ratio and (b) cost per pupil attending (i) Irish medium schools, (ii) maintained schools, (iii) controlled schools and (iv) integrated schools was in each Northern Ireland Education Board area at the latest date for which figures are available.

(203049)

694
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of Northern Ireland's population are Irish speakers, broken down by Northern Ireland Education Board area.

(203050)

695
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the budget for psychology support to primary schools in North Belfast is in 2004-05; how many psychology referrals there have been to each primary school in each of the last five years; and what the constituent parts of the common funding formula used by the Belfast Education and Library Board to allocate these psychology referrals to individual schools are.

(203051)

696
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the underspend was for the Department of Education in cash terms in 2003-04; and what the projected underspend is in cash terms for the same department in 2004-05.

(203074)

697
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-Departmental premises in each of the last two years, giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202408)

698
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

(202409)

699
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202508)

700
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what crèche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost.

(202509)

701
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202510)

702
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in his Department.

(202511)

703
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202512)

704
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to business of each.

(202513)

705
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202514)

706
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total cost to his Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202515)

707
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total external spending by his Department was on Private Finance Initiative consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202516)

708
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in his Department in each of the last two years.

(202517)

709
David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the toxin responsible for the major fish kill on the River Strule, West Tyrone, discovered on 5th August, has been identified; what action has been taken to identify those responsible for the introduction of this toxin; what action has been taken to ensure the river is fully restocked after this incident; and what action is being taken to secure the future environmental integrity of the river system.

(202243)

710
David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many incidents of pollution in the River Strule, West Tyrone, have been recorded in the last six years; whether those responsible for polluting the river on each occasion have been identified; and what action was taken against them in each case.

(202244)

711
N David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding was made available in the current financial year to the Tourism Training Trust; what its budget for the year is; and what estimate he has made of (a) funding and (b) the budget in future years.

(202305)

712
N David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to address the skills shortages in the Greater Belfast area for graduates in the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry.

(202306)

713
N David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the first year student intake was to (a) the Catering College and (b) the University of Ulster's Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure at Londonderry and Jordanstown (i) in 2001 and (ii) since the merger transferring all student intake to Portrush; and what the intake was in (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004, broken down by (1) type of degree and (2) courses of study.

(202307)

714
N David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on progress on the Runkerry Golf Course, Hotel and Leisure project; and what representations he has received (a) in support of and (b) opposed to the project from (i) Moyle District Council, (ii) the National Trust and (iii) Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

(202308)

715
N David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 29th November, Official Report, column 24W, on priority treatment (ex-service personnel), if he will authorise boards and trusts in the Province to provide the same hospital treatment for ex-servicemen and women as has been available in England, Wales and Scotland since 1972.

(202722)

716
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202558)

717
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average starting salary is for those qualified to assist children with speech and learning difficulties in Northern Ireland; and what Board areas have the (a) highest and (b) lowest levels of pay scale.

(202199)

718
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to review the legislation concerning the time police must wait until abandoned vehicles can be removed from public roads.

(202200)

719
N Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202172)

720
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the unemployment levels for the Lagan Valley constituency were in each year since 1997.

(202747)

721
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether funding for the Executive Children's Fund is located within the Draft Priorities and Budget 2005-08; and what funding is available in the Draft Priorities and Budget for the implementation of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's Children and Young People's Strategy.

(202874)

722
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding will be available for children's services in the Draft Priorities and Budget 2005-08; what the provision was in the last round of funding; and what assessment he has made of the impact the Draft Priorities and Budget 2005-08 will have on existing services and new developments for children, young people and families in need in Northern Ireland.

(202875)

723
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of (a) Section 2 Paramilitary violence and (b) Section 3 Systems for investigating deaths of the Chief Commissioner's Overview of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2004.

(202876)

724
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to review the legislation relating to illegal drinking in public in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

(202877)

725
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the earliest possible date is on which he expects to receive the North-East Area Plan for Northern Ireland.

(202882)

726
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people in receipt of housing benefit have been allocated accommodation in the private sector by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in 2004; and what percentage of the total number of people in receipt of housing benefit this figure represents.

(202883)

727
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment has been made of the Transitional Employment Scheme; what plans the Government has to introduce these schemes on a permanent basis; and if he will make a statement.

(202884)

728
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to make identity cards an acceptable form of identification at polling stations in Northern Ireland.

(202885)

729
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to extend those parts of the Housing Act 2004 relating to park homes to Northern Ireland.

(202886)

730
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the arrangements are for policing the area around the Odyssey complex in Belfast; whether different arrangements are made at weekends; what plans he has to make more resources available for policing in this area; and if he will make a statement.

(202887)

731
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether Her Majesty's Treasury Green Book Appraisal and Evaluation in central Government standards has been adopted to evaluate public expenditure projects in Northern Ireland.

(202888)

732
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assistance was provided to prisoners released under the early release scheme to reintegrate themselves into the community and find employment; and what the largest amount is of state benefits being paid on a weekly basis to a former early release prisoner in Northern Ireland.

(202889)

733
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps are being taken by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to prevent the practice by tenants in receipt of housing benefit sub-letting the property to others who also claim housing benefit for the same address; and what estimate he has made of the scale of this problem in Northern Ireland.

(202890)

734
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what Government support (a) has been and (b) will be given to the Shankill Community Convention, established as part of the Community Convention Pilot Schemes; and if he will make a statement.

(202891)

735
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans the Government has to increase fuel poverty payments in line with recent fuel costs increases.

(202892)

736
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many meetings have been held in the past 12 months between the Minister for Social Development and (a) Mr Brian Rowntree, Chairman of the Housing Board, (b) Mr Sidney McDowell, former Chairman of the Housing Board and (c) Mr Paddy McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

(202893)

737
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202401)

738
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much will be spent per head of child population by the Children's Commissioner for Northern Ireland in 2005-06.

(203269)

739
N Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list the infraction proceedings pending against the Government arising from Northern Ireland's failure to comply with EU environmental directives.

(202570)

740
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the role of (a) fuel cost reduction and (b) income maximization in energy efficiency.

(203114)

741
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many enquiries Consumerline has dealt with since its inception; and what the average cost has been per enquiry.

(203121)

742
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the (a) revenue and (b) capital costs of Consumerline were to 31st October.

(203122)

743
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to evaluate the role of local health and social services care groups, with particular reference to the participation of general practitioners.

(203233)

744
Mr Eddie McGrady (South Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much money has been spent on the creation of Local Health and Social Services Care Groups.

(203239)

745
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken to encourage the fostering of children in the Province.

(202582)

746
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many cases of necrotizing fasciitis there were in each of the last five years; and what steps he has taken to limit the number of cases of necrotizing fasciitis in the Province.

(202583)

747
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what sums have been given to each victims' group in the Province in each year since April 1998.

(202584)

748
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the implications for education funding of the results of the recent ruling regarding the educational entitlement of autism sufferer Mr Paul Murray.

(202585)

749
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what relationship and sexuality education is provided to school pupils in the Province.

(202586)

750
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on plans for out-of-hours GP cover in the Kilkeel and Annalong areas from 1st January 2005.

(202587)

751
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will introduce an audiology direct access system through which general practitioners in the Province could refer patients directly to audiologists.

(202588)

752
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will permit public private partnerships to be established in the Province to provide access to NHS digital hearing aids.

(202589)

753
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what changes have been made to audiology department facilities at hospitals across the Province in the last 12 months.

(202590)

754
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will introduce multi-disciplinary inter-specialty combined screening for disabilities amongst children.

(202591)

755
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on recent actions to improve access for those with disabilities at GP surgeries and health trust facilities in the Province.

(202592)

756
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the provision of beta interferon and Glatiramer for multiple sclerosis in Northern Ireland.

(202593)

757
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many patients are waiting to commence anti-TNF medications in the Province.

(202594)

758
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the involvement of paramilitaries in counterfeiting.

(202595)

759
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the cost of chemotherapy drugs in the Province.

(202596)

760
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make it his policy to collate information on the number of patients waiting for (a) MRI scans and (b) other radiological investigations.

(202597)

761
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the impact of the Children's Fund on service development in the Province.

(202598)

762
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will estimate the proposed percentage of health funding that will be available for service expansion and development between 2005 and 2008.

(202599)

763
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many patients were waiting for digital hearing aids in the Province (a) on 1st January and (b) at the latest available date.

(202600)

764
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact of new Crisis Response and Assertive Outreach mental health services in the Province on the level of hospital admissions.

(202601)

765
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what services there are in the Province for those with eating disorders.

(202602)

766
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much has been spent by local health (a) boards and (b) trusts on (i) external contract staffing, (ii) external consultants and (iii) advertising in each of the last five years.

(202603)

767
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assistance is available to businesses in the Province for adaptations to premises in response to new disability discrimination legislation.

(202604)

768
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people in the Province suffer from asbestosis.

(202605)

769
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of the superannuation contribution of staff employed in family doctor practices will be provided through the practice global sum under the new general practitioner contract.

(202606)

770
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) residential, (b) nursing home and (c) domiciliary community care packages were provided in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

(202607)

771
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many individuals have received home help services in each of the last 10 years.

(202608)

772
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what specialist attention deficit hyperactivity disorder outpatient clinics there are in the Province.

(202609)

773
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will introduce screening in the Province for bowel cancer.

(202610)

774
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will bring forward amendments to legislation to allow operating department practitioners in the Province to have responsibility for the controlled drugs used in operating theatres.

(202611)

775
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will estimate the level of expenditure in the Province on Health Service agency staff in each of the last five years.

(202612)

776
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assistance is being provided to elderly patients who no longer have their medications prescribed on a weekly basis; and if he will estimate the annual savings in the Province that will result from the recent policy to limit weekly prescribing of medications to patients.

(202613)

777
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans there are to introduce combined sexual health clinics in the Province that incorporate genito-urinary medicine and family planning services in a joint facility.

(202614)

778
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the nursing resource implications in the Province from the mentoring scheme suggested in the Consultation on a Standard to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice document.

(202615)

779
Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment and Heritage Service has made of the viability of (a) a free-for-all approach to sea trout fishing and (b) the introduction of a permit system for sea trout fishing for Strangford Lough; and if he will make a statement.

(202946)

780
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many jobs are on waiting lists for (a) insulation measures and (b) heating systems to be fitted under the Warm Homes Scheme managed by the Eaga Partnership, broken down by constituency.

(202847)

781
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list contractors working for the Department of Social Development's Warm Homes Scheme in each of the 18 Westminster constituencies; and how many contractors are working on such schemes in each constituency.

(202848)

782
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps (a) have been taken and (b) will be taken by the Department for Social Development to increase the number of people making use of the Warm Homes Scheme managed by the Eaga Partnership in those areas where uptake has been lowest.

(202849)

783
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were on duty on average during (a) day and (b) night shifts in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by principal duty of each officer.

(202868)

784
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers stationed in East Belfast were on out-of-station duties on an average shift in the last period for which figures are available.

(202869)

785
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average response time has been from a call on the emergency number to attendance by a Police Service of Northern Ireland officer at an incident in East Belfast, using the most recent available figures.

(202870)

786
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were on duty on the night of (a) 23rd and (b) 24th November.

(202871)

787
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many police stations were in operation in East Belfast in each of the last six years.

(202872)

788
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many police officers were stationed in East Belfast in each of the last six years.

(202873)

789
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what method is used by Police Service of Northern Ireland officers to quantify the time spent on investigating a particular case.

(202878)

790
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a statement on the way in which Police Service of Northern Ireland officers keep a record of time spent on a particular case during duty.

(202879)

791
Mr Peter Robinson (Belfast East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers work within the East Belfast district of Northern Ireland, broken down by principal duty conducted by each officer.

(202880)

792
Mr David Trimble (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what grants are available to enable owners of charter boats in Northern Ireland to (a) upgrade their vessels and (b) enhance their facilities for tourists.

(202866)

793
Mr David Trimble (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the level of exports, beyond the UK, from Northern Ireland was, expressed as a percentage of the regional gross domestic product in the last year for which figures are available.

(202867)

794
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202253)

Questions to the Prime Minister

795
N Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Prime Minister, when he first learned of the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea.

(201703)

796
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list the outcomes he aims to achieve in terms of progress on climate change from the UK presidency of (a) the G8 and (b) the EU.

(202152)

797
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Prime Minister, how he plans to celebrate Europe Day on 9th May 2005.

(202659)

798
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register to disclose such information.

(202789)

799
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the final copy of the Iraq Survey Group's Report.

(202755)

800
Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Prime Minister, what (a) oral and (b) written reports he received on the morning of 7th September 2002 from the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning Iraq's weapons capability.

(202919)

801
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Prime Minister, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 his special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202264)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland

802
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202560)

803
N Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202174)

804
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202399)

805
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202247)

Questions to the Solicitor General

806
N Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Solicitor General, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by the Law Officers, special advisers and officials in her Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202155)

807
Mr David Trimble (Upper Bann):To ask the Solicitor General, what the average length of time between the date of report of crime and submission of final police report to the Director of Public Prosecutions was in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the average length of time taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions to deal with cases from first report to laying of formal charges was in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) Crown Court cases and (ii) Petty Sessions cases.

(202761)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

808
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she is taking to encourage the retrofitting of clean-coal technology to UK power stations; and what percentage reduction in carbon emissions from such stations she estimates such action would achieve.

(202737)

809
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the value of British imports from Burma was in each year since 1995.

(202805)

810
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what incentives are available for the researching of alternatives to experimental testing on animals.

(202829)

811
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what requirements are placed on UK manufacturers to publish (a) the number and (b) the severity of experimental tests carried out on animals for the purposes of household products; and if she will make a statement.

(202830)

812
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what incentives are offered by the Government to UK manufacturers who choose not to carry out experimental testing on animals.

(202831)

813
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what record is kept by her Department regarding the number of imported products which have been developed using experimental testing on animals.

(202832)

814
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the merits of imposing a ban on imports from Burma; and if she will make a statement.

(202838)

815
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the discussions which she has had with representatives of British holiday companies regarding the promotion of tours in Burma; and if she will make a statement.

(202839)

816
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202369)

817
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in her Department in each of the last two years.

(202370)

818
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for her Department in each of the last two years.

(202371)

819
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on energy costs incurred by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202372)

820
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) her Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202373)

821
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202374)

822
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202375)

823
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by her Department in each of the last two years.

(202376)

824
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the cost has been of criminal damage to her Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202377)

825
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total external spending by her Department was on private finance initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202378)

826
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in her Department to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202379)

827
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what crèche facilities are provided by her Department; and at what cost.

(202380)

828
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202381)

829
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in her Department.

(202382)

830
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by her Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost was to public funds in each case.

(202383)

831
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to her Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202384)

832
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many cases have been brought against her Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202385)

833
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total cost to her Department was of the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202386)

834
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202387)

835
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total external spending by her Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by her Department over this period; and if she will make a statement.

(202388)

836
N Mr Keith Bradley (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people in the Manchester, Withington constituency have benefited from the national minimum wage since its introduction.

(201924)

837
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps the Export Credits Guarantee Department has taken since October 2003 to ascertain whether NW Kellogg or other subsidiary of Halliburton was implicated in (a) the French investigation and (b) the US investigations into allegations of bribery in connection with the LNG Plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

(202900)

838
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which company signed the no-bribery warranty for the application for the Export Credits Guarantee Department support for a contract on the LNG Plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

(202901)

839
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what definition the Export Credits Guarantee Department uses of the phrase, sufficient evidence, used in the OECD Action Statement on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits.

(202924)

840
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the contract supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in connection with the LNG plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria was.

(202925)

841
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will place in the Library a copy of the recourse agreement and related documents signed in connection with Export Credits Guarantee Department support for a contract on the LNG plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

(202926)

842
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which companies signed the recourse agreement for the contract supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in connection with the LNG plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

(202927)

843
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the sanctions used by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in the event that a company is convicted of or admits to corrupt activity; and on what basis the Export Credits Guarantee Department applies these sanctions.

(202928)

844
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on how many occasions (a) officials from the Export Credits Guarantee Department and (b) her Department's staff have met Halliburton officials since October 2003, with regard to the bribery allegations relating to the LNG plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

(202929)

845
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what information the Export Credits Guarantee Department has sought from MW Kellogg and Kellogg, Brown and Root with regard to the bribery allegations and investigations taking place in connection with the LNG plant at Bonny Island in Nigeria.

(202930)

846
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will place in the Library the comparison of the Export Credits Guarantee Department revised anti-bribery and corruption procedures with G7 counterparts.

(202945)

847
Malcolm Bruce (Gordon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations were made by BAES, Rolls-Royce and Airbus to the Export Credit Guarantees Department about its anti-corruption procedures; and if she will place written submissions in the Library.

(203068)

848
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what target her Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by her Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202556)

849
Mrs Anne Campbell (Cambridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many and what percentage of opportunities for research and consulting disseminated by her Department resulted in (a) research reports and (b) physical deliverables in (i) 2001-02, (ii) 2002-03 and (iii) 2003-04.

(202181)

850
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has for future investment in the Faraday partnerships.

(202581)

851
N Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will investigate the allegations made by Dr Robin Lovell-Badge of improper coercion of Task Force members by Professor Colin Blakemore, concerning the Medical Research Council Task Force examining the future of the National Institute for Medical Research, in his evidence to the Science and Technology Select Committee on 1st December; and if she will make a statement.

(202185)

852
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many letters have been received by her Department since 5th March opposing the implementation of the Civil Partnership Bill in Northern Ireland.

(202748)

853
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has had from (a) the Royal Society of Chemistry, (b) the South West Regional Development Agency, (c) companies operating in the South West and (d) others concerning the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University; and if she will make a statement.

(202630)

854
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with the Higher Education Funding Council about the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University.

(202635)

855
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues in the Treasury about the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202636)

856
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision on the Government's 10-Year Investment Framework for Science and Innovation.

(202637)

857
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202638)

858
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much each of the research councils has paid to consultants (a) to help them prepare for oral evidence sessions before parliamentary select committees and (b) for other services since June 2001.

(202721)

859
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when her Department was informed about the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202896)

860
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the governing body of the University of Exeter informed her Department about the proposed closure of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202898)

861
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the (i) social and (ii) economic role of (A) urban and (B) rural post offices.

(202236)

862
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to increase the amount of money available to revitalise the urban post office network; and if she will make a statement.

(202237)

863
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will encourage banks to enable their customers (a) to access bank accounts and (b) conduct other transactions at post offices; and if she will make a statement.

(202238)

864
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to ask the Post Office (a) to simplify the post office card account application process and (b) to allow card accounts to be opened at post offices; and if she will make a statement.

(202566)

865
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans she has to increase the extent to which the availability of the Post Office cheque payment service is advertised.

(202752)

866
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will urge the European Commission to undertake an investigation into the operation of the UK wholesale gas market; and if she will make a statement.

(202791)

867
Mr Jimmy Hood (Clydesdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the outcome was of the Energy Council meeting held on 28th to 29th November; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

(202522)

868
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations her Department has made to the Greek Government on the export of the Typhoon aircraft.

(202988)

869
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202639)

870
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision on the Government's 10-Year Investment Framework for Science and Innovation.

(202640)

871
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues in the Treasury about the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202641)

872
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with the Higher Education Funding Council about the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University.

(202642)

873
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has had from (a) the Royal Society of Chemistry, (b) the South West Regional Development Agency, (c) companies operating in the South West and (d) others concerning the proposed closure of undergraduate chemistry provision at Exeter University; and if she will make a statement.

(202643)

874
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action she proposes to take to prevent the closure of further undergraduate chemistry provision in universities.

(202692)

875
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether her Department has received reports of other university chemistry departments experiencing financial difficulty.

(202693)

876
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will hold discussions with her ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education and Skills to seek to prevent the proposed closure by Exeter University of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202696)

877
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether her Department was informed by Exeter University about the proposed closure of its undergraduate chemistry provision.

(202697)

878
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether she has held discussions with representatives of industry about the October price spike in forward wholesale gas prices; if she will assess price trends in the market since liberalisation; and if she will make a statement.

(203107)

879
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what measures she is taking to protect the UK's industrial competitiveness from the effects of rising wholesale gas prices.

(203108)

880
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she expects liberalisation of energy markets in other EU countries to be achieved.

(203109)

881
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received on amending the law on joint and several liability in construction cases in so far as it affects consulting engineers; and what discussions she has had with other departments on this matter.

(202303)

882
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make it her policy to amend the law on joint and several liability in construction cases to ensure that defendants' liability is limited to a fair proportion of the plaintiff's loss, having regard to the relative degree of blame.

(202304)

883
Mr Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the Government retains a golden share in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company.

(202723)

884
Mr Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool, Walton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what prerogatives of the previous Mersey Docks and Harbour Board over the Mersey Littoral were transferred to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company on its privatisation.

(202724)

885
Jim Knight (South Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the South Dorset constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the South Dorset constituency.

(202727)

886
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what consultations her Department has had with (a) other Government Departments and (b) other stakeholders in relation to the December 2004 consultation meeting for the OECD study, Doing Business in Conflict Zones; what the result of the consultation was; and if she will make a statement.

(202196)

887
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list her official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans she has to establish a public register of such information.

(202403)

888
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which mobile phone companies have signed up to the 10 commitments; and what discussions she has held with those that have not.

(203118)

889
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will assess the merits of tackling volatile substance abuse by limiting the size of butane lighter fuel refill cannisters.

(203159)

890
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the proportion of cigarette lighters being used in the UK which have been imported.

(203160)

891
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what percentage of butane lighter fuel used in the UK in the last period for which figures are available was produced in the UK.

(203161)

892
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the size of the UK market for butane lighter fuel.

(203162)

893
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured due to electrical accidents in their homes; and how many of these took place in (i) bathrooms and (ii) kitchens.

(203192)

894
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what definition she has used to assess vulnerable people in the context of proposals to ban cold calling or doorstep selling.

(203215)

895
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the average full and final settlement is for cases submitted by (a) Berefords solicitors, (b) AMS Law solicitors, (c) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers, (d) Mark Gilbert Morse solicitors, (e) Towells solicitors, (f) Irwin Mitchell solicitors, (g) Thompsons solicitors, (h) Richmonds solicitors and (i) Frank Allen Pennington solicitors for vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under the coalminers' compensation scheme; and what the average full and final settlement under the scheme is.

(202698)

896
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much has been paid in fees to (a) Richmonds solicitors, (b) Rayleys solicitors and (c) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers for vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims under the coalminers' compensation scheme.

(202699)

897
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many cases have been submitted by Richmonds solicitors for compensation for vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under the coalminers' compensation scheme.

(202700)

898
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with BT about the triggering of premium rate numbers through the internet.

(203207)

899
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many representations she has received in the last three months about telephone calls unwittingly triggered through the internet to premium rate numbers; and how many of these involved children.

(203208)

900
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the proportion of (a) small and medium sized businesses and (b) UK employers who want to take some responsibility for their employees' health care.

(202271)

901
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the total (a) allocation to and (b) expenditure on (i) Small Firms Loan Guarantee, (ii) Grant for Research and Development, (iii) Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea and (iv) Knowledge Transfer Partnerships has been since April 2003.

(202521)

902
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the cost to UK employers of establishing policies associated with EU Social Chapter rights; and what methodology she used to make that estimate.

(202540)

903
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, for which pieces of legislation affecting business introduced by her Department since 1997 regulatory impact assessments have been made.

(202549)

904
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the membership is of the (a) National Network Forum and (b) Clusters Policy Steering Group; what the (i) cost of salaries and expenses to members and (ii) running cost was of each body in the last year for which figures are available; and how many staff are employed to service each body.

(203111)

905
N Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which regulations need to be satisfied by a small business setting up new premises to trade as a financial adviser.

(202008)

906
N Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the aggregate cost to business of regulations imposed by her Department since 1997, based on figures in the relevant regulatory impact assessments.

(202009)

907
N Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the regulations which have to be complied with by a small company setting up a restaurant, where the buildings need to be adapted.

(202010)

908
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with consumer groups about misleading letters sent through the post to people suggesting that they have won prizes; and if she will make a statement.

(202955)

909
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with the European Commission on state funding issues with regard to the financing of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (a) before and (b) after the passing of the Energy Act 2004; and if she will make a statement.

(203070)

910
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the European Commission's investigation into the funding of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

(203071)

911
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she is taking to increase the amount of electricity generated by renewable sources; and if she will make a statement.

(203072)

912
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much capital grant aid she is planning to provide to (a) wind, (b) solar, (c) tidal, (d) hydro and (e) thermal generators of electricity in the forthcoming financial year; and if shewill make a statement.

(203073)

913
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in her Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202170)

914
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the United Kingdom has offered assistance to Iran to (a) build a nuclear power plant and (b) provide nuclear technology for such a plant.

(202753)

915
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what contribution (a) departmental staff and (b) staff of executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies responsible to her Department made to the conference on energy security held at the Royal United Services Institute on 3rd to 4th November; and if she will place papers prepared by her Department for the conference in the Library.

(202754)

916
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when her Department agreed to a three month extension to the financial restructuring support agreements for British Energy; until what date the extension will run; what its value is; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the extension agreement.

(202810)

917
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her policy is on the European Commission's proposal for a council directive on the supervision and control of shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel, COM (2004) 716 Final, published on 15th November.

(202813)

918
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she expects to receive the opinion of the European Commission on the legality of providing state aid to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

(202814)

919
N Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the South West Regional Development Agency's financial support for a microsystems company in Estores, Plymouth; if she will seek an explanation from the agency of their use of public funds; and if she will make a statement.

(202309)

920
N Mr Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what measures she intends to take to protect the public from the unwanted installation of premium rate dialler programmes on computers connected to the internet; and if she will make a statement.

(201873)

921
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202251)

922
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with the major clearing banks in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) the rest of the UK on the effects on users of the sale of ATM machines to companies which charge transaction fees for their use.

(202545)

923
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research she has commissioned on the number of ATM machines in the vicinity of closed former sub-post offices which make charges for use.

(202546)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

924
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the environmental consequences of production by aircraft of nitrogen oxides; and what steps he is taking to limit such emissions.

(202738)

925
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202410)

926
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) Private Finance Initiative projects in his Department in each of the last two years.

(202411)

927
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

(202412)

928
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202413)

929
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202414)

930
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202415)

931
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202416)

932
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202417)

933
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202418)

934
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total external spending by his Department was on Private Finance Initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202419)

935
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202420)

936
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what crèche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost.

(202421)

937
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202422)

938
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in his Department.

(202423)

939
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202424)

940
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202425)

941
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202426)

942
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to his Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202427)

943
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years; giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202428)

944
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total external spending by his Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202429)

945
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202561)

946
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the detailed technical work which assessed the options of improving the A303 or the A358 to the west of Ilminster.

(202161)

947
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which road schemes have been added to the Targeted Programme of Improvements since 1st June.

(202162)

948
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in road accidents on the A303/A30 between Ilminster and Honiton in each of the last seven years.

(202163)

949
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence he has assessed that shows that drivers who use speed assessment equipment detection devices have a worse accident record than those who do not.

(202164)

950
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence he has assessed which shows that the provisions of Clause 17 of the Road Safety Bill will enhance road safety.

(202165)

951
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many motorway services are operating; and what plans the Government has to increase the number.

(203075)

952
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long the inquiry into the A30 improvement at Goss Moor lasted; what period has elapsed since the conclusion of the inquiry; and when he expects a decision to be announced.

(203076)

953
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the first motorway picnic area to be operative under the provisions of Clause 40 of the Road Safety Bill.

(203081)

954
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the increases in car park charges at rail stations run by South Eastern Trains; and if he will make a statement.

(203018)

955
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will announce the timetable for the construction of the new proposed Mersey Crossing.

(201927)

956
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202398)

957
Mr Edward Leigh (Gainsborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many of the oldest slam door trains have received a waiver allowing them to run beyond the statutory deadline of 31st December for removing them from the network; and when they will be replaced by new trains.

(202539)

958
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have been (a) killed and (b) injured in accidents on the roads where alcohol was a contributory factor in each of the last five years; in what percentage of road traffic accidents alcohol was a contributory factor, in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(202904)

959
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was to each police authority of policing accidents in which alcohol was a contributary factor in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(202905)

960
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202169)

961
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what impact the designation of the Grantham to Skegness branch line as a Community Rail Line pilot will have on (a) maintenance funding, (b) service improvement, (c) freight traffic and (d) improving facilities at stations along the line.

(202908)

962
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with British airline operators with regard to concerns expressed by insurance companies over the costs of potential damage arising from the use of a radioactive dirty bomb on an aircraft.

(202806)

963
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the level of compliance by drivers with the legislation forbidding the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving.

(202282)

964
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the areas in the UK that should benefit from Public Service Obligations for lifeline flights.

(202683)

965
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many crimes have been committed at stations that meet secure station status in each year since the scheme's inception.

(202766)

966
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria stations need to meet to be designated secure stations under the Secure Stations scheme; and how much money has been spent advertising the Secure Station scheme.

(202767)

967
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many stations with Secure Station status have subsequently had their designation removed in each year since the scheme's inception; and which stations have been designated secure stations under the Secure Station scheme.

(202768)

968
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what quantity of (a) street lights and (b) other road furniture was replaced in the last year for which figures are available; what the cost of such replacement was; and what proportion of the (i) quantity and (ii) cost of such replacement was as a result of collisions on (A) Highways Agency roads and (B) local authority roads.

(202769)

969
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many miles of new cycle lanes have been provided using public funds since 1997, broken down by local authority.

(202770)

970
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what length of (a) bus lanes and (b) cycle lanes have been designated on roads in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority.

(202771)

971
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on the (a) replacement and (b) repair of damaged bus shelters in each of the last three years.

(202772)

972
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new bus shelters have been built in each year since 1996-97; how many shelters were upgraded in each year; and how many have been removed during that time.

(202773)

973
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202249)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales

974
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library the independent consultant's review of 2001-02 which recommended the creation of further posts in the Wales Office; and if he will make a statement.

(202736)

975
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost to his Department of such telephones has been in each year since 1997; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202167)

976
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202250)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

977
N Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the criteria are for assessing the performance of staff of JobCentre Plus in respect of the payment of jobseeker's allowance.

(201741)

978
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time from claiming jobseeker's allowance and income support to receiving payment has been in (a) the area covered by Eston JobCentre Plus and (b) each of the other areas of the Redcar constituency not covered by the Eston JobCentre Plus in the last period for which figures are available.

(202634)

979
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedure is followed in processing applications for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) income support in the Redcar constituency.

(202672)

980
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether benefits claimants who attend at Jobcentre Plus offices must claim benefits by telephoning a call centre elsewhere.

(202673)

981
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether benefits calls centre staff are able to make decisions about eligibility for benefit.

(202674)

982
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many financial advisers are allocated to (a) Eston Jobcentre Plus and (b) the other areas of Redcar constituency.

(202675)

983
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the time taken to process the average benefits claim at Eston Jobcentre Plus was in (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2002-03.

(202676)

984
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal advisers are allocated to (a) Eston Jobcentre Plus and (b) the other areas of Redcar constituency.

(202677)

985
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on acquiring shredding equipment for office use in each year since 1997 to date.

(202148)

986
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff hours have been spent shredding documents in each month since January.

(202149)

987
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what factors underlie the increase in the rate of files shredded since January 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(202150)

988
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the criteria used to decide which documents and files should be shredded; and what mechanism exists to ensure that documents and files are not destroyed for other reasons.

(202151)

989
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

(202430)

990
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) new builds, (b) demolition rebuilds and (c) private finance initiative projects in his Department in each of the last two years.

(202431)

991
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

(202432)

992
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202433)

993
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the (a) annual cost and (b) total value of the empty properties owned by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies and (iii) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility in each of the last two years.

(202434)

994
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202435)

995
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in the last two years.

(202436)

996
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost was of (a) an in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last two years.

(202437)

997
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

(202438)

998
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total external spending by his Department was on Private Finance Initiative (PFI) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202439)

999
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his target time is in 2004-05 (a) to reply to letters from honourable Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public.

(202440)

1000
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what crèche facilities are provided by his Department; and at what cost.

(202441)

1001
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is towards age discrimination.

(202442)

1002
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the gender pay gap amongst staff in his Department.

(202443)

1003
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

(202444)

1004
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

(202445)

1005
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what the cost has been in (a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments.

(202446)

1006
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to his Department was for the use of external consultants in each of the last two years.

(202447)

1007
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

(202448)

1008
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total external spending by his Department was on public private partnership (PPP) consultants in each of the last two years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

(202449)

1009
Mrs Liz Blackman (Erewash):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will publish his response to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council Report on prescribed disease A11.

(203052)

1010
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what target his Department sets for the maximum acceptable time to respond in full to a parliamentary question; and what percentage of answers given by his Department failed to meet this target in each parliamentary session from 1997-98 to 2003-04.

(202551)

1011
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on the applicability of the habitual residence test to claims for assistance from UK citizens from the British Indian Ocean Territories; and if he will make a statement.

(203132)

1012
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child support cases the Child Support Agency is dealing with relating to people in Greater London; and if he will make a statement.

(202728)

1013
N Mr Peter Duncan (Galloway & Upper Nithsdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) Scottish people aged 16 to 24, (b) Scottish people aged 25 or over and (c) Scottish people have entered a period of employment through the New Deal for longer than 13 weeks in each of the last four years; and what each figure is as a percentage of all individuals leaving the New Deal.

(202059)

1014
Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the financial effects arising from the proposed change in the retirement age in the first five years after the change.

(202235)

1015
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards are in place to prevent third parties from making inappropriate withdrawals when collecting benefits from the post office; and if he will make a statement.

(202949)

1016
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects all Child Support Agency cases to have migrated to the new payment scheme.

(203015)

1017
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department plans to take to tackle age discrimination to provide older people with the same job opportunities as younger people.

(202994)

1018
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the back to work help for the over 50s in Scotland.

(202995)

1019
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to remove Crown Immunity in relation to safety in the workplace, with particular reference to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; and if he will make a statement.

(202242)

1020
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will strengthen the powers of the Pensions Ombudsman to take action against providers of pension schemes when he finds evidence of malpractice or poor service; and if he will make a statement.

(202751)

1021
Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow Cathcart):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for disability living allowance in 2003-04 taken to appeal were (a) refused on appeal and (b) granted on appeal; and how many in each category cited myalgic encephalomyelitis, or the category most closely approximating to myalgic encephalomyelitis, as the principal disabling condition.

(202820)

1022
Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow Cathcart):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many refusals of disability living allowance in 2003-04 on review were (a) taken to appeal and (b) taken no further; and how many in each category cited myalgic encephalomyelitis, or the category most closely approximating to myalgic encephalomyelitis, as the principal disabling condition.

(202821)

1023
Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow Cathcart):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of those cases taken to review for disability living allowance in 2003-04 (a) were refused on review and (b) were granted on review; and how many in each category cited myalgic encephalomyelitis or the category most closely approximating to myalgic encephalomyelitis as the principal disabling condition.

(202822)

1024
Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow Cathcart):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of those cases refused disability living allowance on application in 2003-04 (a) were taken to review, (b) were taken to appeal without prior review and (c) were taken no further; and how many in each category cited myalgic encephalomyelitis or the category most closely approximating to myalgic encephalomyelitis as the principal disabling condition.

(202823)

1025
Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow Cathcart):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims were lodged for disability living allowance in 2003-04; and how many cited myalgic encephalomyelitis or the category most closely approximating to myalgic encephalomyelitis as the principal disabling condition.

(202824)

1026
Mr Tom Harris (Glasgow Cathcart):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the total claims lodged for disability living allowance in 2003-04 (a) were refused on application and (b) were granted on application; and how many in each category cited myalgic encephalomyelitis or the category most closely approximating to myalgic encephalomyelitis as the principal disabling condition.

(202825)

1027
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated cost to his Department of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic numbers and (b) international numbers was in the last year for which figures are available.

(202186)

1028
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he has taken to ensure the telephones in his Department are not used by staff making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers.

(202187)

1029
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the use of telephones in his Department by members of staff for their personal use relating to (a) domestic calls and (b) international calls; and if he will make a statement.

(202188)

1030
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many video conferencing units are installed in (a) the Department and (b) each agency of the Department; what percentage of offices have these facilities in each case; and what plans there are to increase the number.

(202189)

1031
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to fund the establishment and maintenance of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber.

(202190)

1032
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the refurbishment projects in his Department that (a) are in progress and (b) will start in the next six months; what action is being taken to ensure that these will procure timber from legal and sustainable sources; and whether guidance will be issued to contractors on each of these projects to ensure that the timber used on site during refurbishment also comes from legal and sustainable sources.

(202191)

1033
Paul Holmes (Chesterfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30th November, Official Report, column 69W, on the New Deal for the Disabled, what plans he has for the renewal of contracts from April 2006 with those organisations that are contracted to deliver the New Deal for Disabled People.

(202192)

1034
Miss Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the full liability of the Financial Assistance Scheme for people whose occupational pension funds have collapsed.

(202194)

1035
Miss Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate has been made of the level of assistance to be awarded through the Financial Assistance Scheme to each person who has lost their occupational pension funding.

(202195)

1036
Sir Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the relevant populations of (a) men and (b) women in (i) the Scottish Borders, (ii) Scotland and (ii) Great Britain are entitled to the full basic state pension.

(202535)

1037
Sir Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh & Berwickshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of women in (a) the Scottish Borders, (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain are entitled to the full basic state pension in their own right.

(202536)

1038
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

(202397)

1039
Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Strathkelvin and Bearsden receive the disability income guarantee.

(202541)

1040
Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average payment of pension credit in Strathkelvin and Bearsden is.

(202542)

1041
Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received pension credit in Strathkelvin and Bearsden in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

(202543)

1042
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many known drug misusers were receiving (a) invalidity benefit and (b) disability living allowance in 2003-04.

(202855)

1043
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help people on invalidity benefit to obtain employment; and if he will make a statement.

(202950)

1044
N Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

(202156)

1045
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of those qualifying for the state pension have been refused carer's allowance, broken down by reason for refusal, in each of the last three years.

(202269)

1046
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether immigrants to the UK are entitled to be issued with national insurance numbers if they (a) have entered the UK on false passports, (b) have had their applications under the regularisation of overstayers scheme refused with no right of appeal and (c) have had their applications under the Home Office's marriage policy refused.

(201810)

1047
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of pensioners in England were in receipt of council tax benefit in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

(202287)

1048
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average reduction in council tax bills for (a) an average household and (b) an average pensioner household in England due to council tax benefits was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(202288)

1049
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost was of administering council tax benefit to (a) central government and (b) local government in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

(202289)

1050
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current length of wait is for assessment by the Child Support Agency once a case has been referred off computer to the manual clerical system.

(202292)

1051
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency applications are being dealt with off-computer.

(202293)

1052
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received regarding the downsizing of the US Navy operations in London and the consequences on employment in London.

(202302)

1053
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of those leaving the new deal for long-term unemployed aged (a) 25 to 29, (b) 30 to 49 and (c) 50+ years found (i) employment and (ii) sustained jobs in each year since 2001; and what proportion of those leaving the New Deal for the Long-term Unemployed in each year since 2001 did so for (1) sustained jobs and (2) jobs lasting fewer than 13 weeks, broken down by region.

(202285)

1054
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions between 31st March 2003 and 31st March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost.

(202246)

1055
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy (a) to pool the remaining assets of pension schemes which fall within the scope of his financial assistance scheme and to (b) instruct such schemes not to purchase annuities with such balances.

(202013)

1056
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to ensure that recipients of payments under the financial assistance scheme continue to receive such payments after the initial 20-year funding period has ended.

(202014)

1057
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many pension schemes he has so far successfully collected data in connection with his development of a financial assistance scheme; and what percentage this represents of all the schemes for which he is collecting data.

(202015)

1058
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the maximum percentage is of lost occupational pension rights that will be replaced by the Financial Assistance Scheme.

(202016)

1059
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost of the pension credit in each year from 2006-07 to 2011-12 if (a) the guarantee element of the pension credit is increased in line with earnings in each year after 2005-06 and the savings credit threshold is increased in line with prices, (b) the guarantee element of the pensions credit and the savings credit threshold are both increased in line with prices in each year after 2005-06 and (c) the savings and guarantee credits are increased in line with earnings.

(203164)

1060
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what expenditure on contracted-out rebates went on (a) approved personal pensions, (b) stakeholder pensions, (c) contracted-out money purchase schemes and (d) defined benefit pensions in each year since 1997.

(203168)

1061
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) male and (b) female pensioner recipients of (i) income support, (ii) the minimum income guarantee and (iii) pension credit there have been in each year since 1979.

(203169)

1062
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of new claimants of incapacity benefit in each year since 1997 were already in receipt of another benefit; and what proportion were new benefit claimants.

(203170)

1063
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to publish Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up for 2002-03.

(203173)

1064
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in respect of how many pensions contracted-out rebates have been paid in each year since 1997; and what the average payment was.

(203175)

1065
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many stakeholder pensions are (a) contracted into and (b) contracted out of the State Second Pension.

(203177)

1066
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) male and (b) female recipients of income support, excluding minimum income guarantees and pension credit there have been in each year since 1979.

(203178)

1067
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit awards have been made to couples; and in how many cases the payment has been made to (a) the man and (b) the woman.

(203180)

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

1068
Mr Simon Thomas (Ceredigion):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost is to the Exchequer of the free television licence for those over 75 years; and what would be the cost of offering a free television licence to all those in receipt of pension credit only.

[Transferred] (202944)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

1069
Mr Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to provide protectors under planning procedures for (a) special landscape areas and (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty with regard to the erectors of new mobile phone masts; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred] (203019)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

1070
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions officials from the Office for National Statistics have had with officials from the Department for Education and Skills regarding the OECD PISA 2003 survey.

[Transferred] (203179)

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Revised 6 December 2004