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 13 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 13 December 2004
(the 'Questions Book')

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 13 December 2004

This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Monday 13 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 13 December of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper.

For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Monday 13 December see Part 2 of this paper.

Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office

1
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what definition her Office uses of the term social justice in Cabinet Office documents.

(204279)

2
Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Mr Jonathan Sedgwick moved from his post in the Home Secretary's office to his subsequent post.

(204966)

3
Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons Ms Denise Maguire moved from her post in the Department for Education into each of her subsequent posts.

(204967)

4
Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons Mr Andy Hurdle moved from his post in 2002 in the Department for Education into his subsequent posts.

(204968)

5
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent on entertainment by the Cabinet Office in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204342)

6
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204378)

7
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many publicly funded pay television subscriptions there are in official residences for which her Department is responsible; and what the cost is of each.

(204422)

8
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost was of running each official residence for which her Department is responsible in the last year for which figures are available.

(204423)

9
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of the Government car fleet was in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) maintenance, (b) drivers, (c) taxes, (d) insurance, (e) fuel, (f) fines for traffic offences broken down by offence and (g) congestion charges.

(204439)

10
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many departmental security passes have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in each year since 1997.

(204444)

11
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many instances of people attempting to use security passes that were recorded as lost or stolen have been recorded in each year since 1997.

(204445)

12
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204513)

13
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will list overnight guests to official residences in her Department since 1997.

(204532)

14
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of receptions and parties hosted by Ministers in her Department in their official residences has been since 1997.

(204533)

15
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Cabinet Office special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204301)

16
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Cabinet Office special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204321)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

17
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to (a) G8 and (b) Paris Club Nations on following the UK's lead in paying 10 per cent. of the debt service owed by highly indebted poor countries to the World Bank and African Development Bank.

(204277)

18
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK will pay debt service on behalf of the world's poorest countries to the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

(204280)

19
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to (a) the International Monetary Fund, (b) the World Bank and (c) regional development banks to (i) cancel debt owed to them by the world's poorest countries and (ii) revalue gold reserves to finance cancellation.

(204281)

20
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent by his Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

(204713)

21
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with Marta Andreasen on accounting practices in the EU during the last year.

(204165)

22
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48-hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

(204169)

23
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what positions have been taken by each of the G8 member countries in respect of the International Finance Facility.

(204593)

24
N Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Departments agreed to the reallocation of funds for the purpose of allocating additional funds to local authorities; how much was reallocated in each case; and if he will make a statement.

(203988)

25
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions since 1st June he has been informed of a minister issuing a direction to an accounting officer as set out in paragraphs 14 to 17 of the Treasury document, The Responsibilities of an Accounting Officer; on which grounds the note of dissent was issued; and if he will make a statement.

(204782)

26
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with regard to the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise, how many claims to tax have been (a) reduced and (b) cancelled in the last tax year; and what the sums involved were.

(204676)

27
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have died of MRSA in care homes, as a proportion of total MRSA deaths, in each of the last five years.

(204586)

28
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the outstanding stock of (a) cash ISAs, (b) insurance ISAs and (c) equity ISAs was on 31st March (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003 and (iv) 2004; and what the net change in stock was for the years (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004.

(204413)

29
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what account the Office of National Statistics intends to take of the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards.

(204415)

30
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the topics are of the group litigation orders brought against the Inland Revenue and Customs which were resolved in the last 12 months; how many litigants participated in each group; what the name was of each corporate litigant; and whether each was registered (a) in the UK and (b) in another jurisdiction.

(204606)

31
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many redundancies per 1,000 workers are estimated from the Labour Force Survey to have been experienced in each industrial sector since 1997.

(204612)

32
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases of overpayment for child and working tax credit there have been in Coventry.

(203584)

33
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people retired in each year group in the last year for which figures are available.

(204909)

34
N Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates he has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of those eligible who do not claim the childcare element of the working tax credit; what average amount they are estimated to lose; and what the estimated saving to the Exchequer of failure to claim was in the last period for which figures are available.

(204167)

35
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 on the use of covert human intelligence sources by Inland Revenue.

(204440)

36
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the (a) Commissioner of Inland Revenue and (b) Inland Revenue solicitor responsible for determining the impact of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 on the use of informers was.

(204441)

37
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Inland Revenue conducted an impact assessment of the effects of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 on informers before its passage into law.

(204442)

38
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Inland Revenue informers had their relationship terminated between 6th March 2000 and 28th July 2000; and how many Inland Revenue handling officers were posted elsewhere during this period.

(204443)

39
N Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his most recent estimate is of the total cost in a year to the Exchequer of tax reliefs provided on donations to universities.

(204002)

40
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on his meeting with representatives of Britain in Europe on 17th November; what issues were discussed; whether civil servants were present; and in what capacity he attended.

(204223)

41
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list activities in which his Department has been involved to promote the benefits of the Government's policy towards the European Union; what the costs were; what partner organisations were involved; and if he will make a statement.

(204225)

42
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a list of documents held by his Department that (a) may be disclosed under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) have been destroyed within the preceding four months that pertain to (i) the European Constitution and (ii) the criteria for acceding to the euro.

(204461)

43
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases of female breast cancer there have been in each of the last 10 years.

(204400)

44
Mr Jimmy Hood (Clydesdale):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the outcome was of the ECOFIN Council held on 7th December; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

(204722)

45
Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training is provided to staff on the MP's Tax Credit hotline.

(204649)

46
Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the repayment of tax credit due to Aimee Tombs whose national insurance number has been communicated to his Department will be made.

(204650)

47
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with (a) the Office of National Statistics and (b) the Department of Trade and Industry in relation to the calculation of the Treasury's measurement of an underlying trend rate of productivity growth on an output per hour worked basis.

(204409)

48
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204357)

49
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204373)

50
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) Customs and Excise officers and (b) operational sniffer dogs there have been in the UK in each year since 1997.

(204448)

51
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204520)

52
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many children in Burnley he estimates will benefit from the Child Trust Fund.

(204805)

53
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the per capita GDP was for the Pendle local authority area in each year since 1995.

(205007)

54
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many child tax credit claimants he has written to with details about the process of finalising their 2003-04 claim and renewing a claim for 2004-05 reassessments, broken down by region; how many have responded, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement.

(204735)

55
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204299)

56
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204319)

57
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many single (a) women and (b) men will reach the age of 60 years between 26th September and 25th December.

(204054)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

58
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the promotion of volunteering through the use of fiscal incentives for (a) individual volunteers and (b) employers.

(204906)

59
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, for which of the five public engagements listed in his Answer of 2nd December, Official Report, column 252W, on public engagements, texts or transcripts of his presentations are publicly available.

(204098)

Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs

60
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what his assessment is of the powers of a judge to prevent a party to family proceedings against whom there is an allegation of (a) domestic violence and (b) sexual abuse from cross-examining the other party about such allegations.

(203999)

61
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans he has to prevent any party in a family case who faces an allegation of domestic violence or sexual abuse from cross-examining the other party.

(204000)

62
N Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what (a) advice and (b) training is given to judges to help them to deal with family cases in which there is an application by a party who faces an allegation of (i) domestic violence and (ii) sexual abuse to cross-examine the other party about those allegations.

(204001)

63
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Legal Services Commission evaluation of housing possession court duty schemes; and what plans he has for extending them beyond the existing pilots.

(204941)

64
Ross Cranston (Dudley North):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much was spent on non-family legal aided civil cases in each of the last 20 years; how many cases involved (a) legal representation and (b) other legal advice and assistance in each year; and what the average costs of (a) and (b) were in each year.

(204990)

65
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans the Department has to introduce an 80 year closure period for census records; and if he will make a statement.

(204272)

66
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if the Secretary of State will allow family historians access to the personal records from the (a) 1911 and (b) 1921 Census.

(204273)

67
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the Department's policy is on individuals or organisations seeking to register a political party using words which are already a fundamental and necessary part of another registered political party's branding; and if he will make a statement.

(204955)

68
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the Department's policy is on political parties being supplied with absent voting lists outside an election period; and if he will make a statement.

(204956)

69
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204348)

70
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204362)

71
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many day's sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204505)

72
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans the Department has to publicise the opportunities available to obtain information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 after it enters into force on 1st January 2005.

(204322)

73
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what guidance the Government has issued to local government on the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act.

(204980)

74
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what guidance the Department issues on whether the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will cover internal correspondence, in writing or email, (a) within political groups on local authorities and (b) between political assistants and their political group on local authorities.

(205021)

75
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204291)

76
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204311)

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

77
N Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the resources that have been allocated under each departmental heading and subheading in the 2004 departmental report following the spending review 2004 for each year to 2007-08.

(203987)

78
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):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 (a) has been spent and (b) is planned to be spent in the West Midlands.

(203586)

79
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to change British film classifications.

(203587)

80
Mr Wayne David (Caerphilly):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what preparations are being made to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar.

(205028)

81
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will place in the Library a copy of the research commissioned by the Association of British Bookmakers into fixed-odds betting terminals to which the Minister for Sport referred on 2nd December in Standing Committee B, Official Report, column 382.

(204207)

82
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public swimming pools there are in England.

(204386)

83
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many requests to have Olympic medal winners visit secondary schools have been met by UK Sport in 2004.

(204483)

84
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how she has assessed the effectiveness of the investment made by the Government towards achieving Olympic medal success for the UK.

(204733)

85
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been spent on entertainment by her Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204345)

86
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204375)

87
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204509)

88
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on her strategy for meeting the National Audit Office recommendations made in its recent report on Visit Britain on (a) long-term returns, (b) measuring and reporting return on investment, (c) ensuring good communuication through Visit Britain with the tourism sector and (d) ensuring that the tourism industry gives feedback to Visit Britain.

(204655)

89
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on her strategy for meeting the National Audit Office recommendations made in its recent report on Visit Britain on ensuring there is clarity of roles and responsibilities among organisations within the tourism industry.

(204656)

90
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make a statement on the guidance to be provided to local authorities on the provision of gambling and casino licences.

(204491)

91
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204285)

92
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204304)

93
Angela Watkinson (Upminster):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether Lottery funding was used in the publication of the Family Planning Association booket, Girls Out Loud.

(204397)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence

94
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) campaign and (b) war medals have been issued in each of the last five years; and how many of each were made of (i) silver and (ii) cupro nickel.

(204989)

95
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for which (a) campaigns and (b) wars, medals were issued in each of the last five years; which medals were made of (i) silver and (ii) cupro nickel; and how many were made in each case.

(205002)

96
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited into the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire regiments in each of the last five years; and how that affected establishment in each case.

(204908)

97
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set up an ex gratia scheme to deal with claims for Gulf War-related illnesses; and if he will make a statement.

(204942)

98
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel are members of military bands in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army, (c) the Royal Air Force and (d) the Royal Marines.

(204943)

99
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military bands in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army, (c) the Royal Air Force and (d) the Royal Marines are fully funded by his Department.

(204944)

100
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to his Department is of maintaining the military bans of (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army, (c) the Royal Air Force and (d) the Royal Marines.

(204945)

101
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what circumstances led to the recent issue of instructions about the application of the safety catch to the chain gun, as fitted to the Challenger tank.

(204946)

102
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, under what circumstances army personnel have been ordered (a) not to apply and (b) to apply the safety catch to the chain gun, as fitted to the Challenger tank.

(204947)

103
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what action has been taken to rectify problems associated with the chain gun as fitted to the Challenger Tank.

(204948)

104
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incidents have been reported of the jamming of the chain gun as fitted to the Challenger Tank, in (a) Iraq and (b) elsewhere, with particular reference to instances of the gun being fired without command; and what procedure is followed when an incident occurs.

(204975)

105
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service medals, broken down by type, are awaiting award to eligible service personnel; what the average waiting time is for personnel after completion of eligibility requirements for each award; and if he will make a statement.

(204222)

106
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has placed restrictions on its commercial partners in the Alliance to build the Future Aircraft Carriers on discussing the project with UK shipyards.

(204830)

107
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consultations have taken place between the Alliance to build the Future Aircraft Carriers and UK shipyards; when these consultations began; and what role was played in these consultations by the Department's commercial partners in the Alliance.

(204831)

108
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he intends to invite BAE Systems to underwrite the through life costs of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer.

(204832)

109
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his latest estimate is of the in-service date for the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer.

(204833)

110
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the main provisions of the gain share agreement between his Department and BAE Systems in respect of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer are.

(204834)

111
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the export potential of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer.

(204835)

112
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what design changes the Integrated Project Team for the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer proposes to make.

(204836)

113
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he expects the through life costs of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer to be.

(204837)

114
Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to sign the contract for the (a) development phase and (b) production phase of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer.

(204838)

115
Mr Paul Keetch (Hereford):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Suez Canal Zone Medal will be made available to Mr Rowland A Jones, Service Number 22662619; and if he will make a statement.

(204771)

116
Mr John McFall (Dumbarton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cash machines are currently provided on (a) bases and (b) other property owned, rented or otherwise used by his Department; how many of these cash machines (i) levy a surcharge for withdrawing cash and (ii) are free to use; whether any of the machines which are free to use are in areas that are only accessible by officers; and if he will make a statement.

(204981)

117
Alice Mahon (Halifax):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 6th December, Official Report, column 339W, on napalm, whether substances similar to napalm have been used by the Coalition (a) during and (b) since the recent war in Iraq.

(204263)

118
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204350)

119
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204366)

120
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204511)

121
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the report of the independent public inquiry into Gulf War Syndrome chaired by Lord Lloyd; and if he will make a statement.

(205003)

122
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons air cadets attended cenotaphs in Pendle on Remembrance Sunday without their rifles; and if he will make a statement.

(205010)

123
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current status is of the dispute between the United Kingdom and the European Commission over the provision of data on the Royal Navy test reactor Jason in connection with its decommissioning since 1998.

(204327)

124
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ask his United States counterpart to investigate claims made by former US Marine Jimmy Massey that US Coalition Forces in Iraq shot dead unarmed Iraqi civilians at roadblocks in Iraq.

(205022)

125
Mr Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list NATO countries which have (a) agreed to train security forces in Iraq and (b) committed troops and personnel to conduct training; and if he will make a statement.

(204384)

126
N Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Defence Medical Services entered into an arrangement with Archbishop 3rd Makarios Hospital in Cyprus for the treatment of UK servicemen and women and their dependents; and what inspections the Defence Medical Services carried out of facilities available at the hospital in respect of ante-natal, neo-natal and maternity services before 27th September 1998.

(200250)

127
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204286)

128
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204305)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

129
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what representations he has received concerning the incorporation of (a) micro generation of renewable energy, (b) domestic combined heat and power units and (c) energy conserving building techniques in the building regulations; and if he will make a statement.

(204274)

130
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what account is taken of the description of a special landscape area in connection with the selection of land for gravel and aggregate production; and what recent advice his Department has circulated to local authorities on this.

(204493)

131
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, on how many occasions his officials have had discussions with the City Treasurer of the City of Newcastle to discuss the revenue financing of the Building Schools for the Future Programme; and what was agreed during such discussions.

(204394)

132
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the scaling factors are for supporting borrowing under the Building Schools for the Future programme.

(204594)

133
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the waiting lists for social housing for each local authority in the Greater London area are; and if he will make a statement.

(204741)

134
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many people within the Greater London area are classified as homeless; and what the figures have been in each of the last three years.

(204742)

135
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much financial assistance has been spent on assisting rough sleepers in the Greater London area in each of the last three years.

(204743)

136
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much Government money has been provided to the London Borough of Wandsworth in each of the last five years.

(204745)

137
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the expenditure was on local authority social housing grant in each Government Office region in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04; and what the estimated expenditure is in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.

(204924)

138
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will be making transitional local authority social housing grant funding available in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.

(204925)

139
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his estimate is of the total number of (a) social housing units for rent and (b) low cost home ownership units that will be built or acquired (i) with housing corporation social housing grant, (ii) with transitional local authority social housing grant and (iii) without public subsidy in 2004-05.

(204926)

140
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of the additional £430 million Housing Corporation social housing grant available annually for new affordable housing from 2007-08 would previously have been available as local authority social housing grant.

(204927)

141
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the total income in capital receipts was from the sale of council housing under the right to buy in 2003-04, broken down by Government Office region.

(204928)

142
Sue Doughty (Guildford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether he has received the results of the survey undertaken for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes regarding levels of compliance with the 2002 changes under Part L of the Buildings Regulations; and if he will make a statement.

(204556)

143
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the planning regulations which permit motor racing events on farms or other land holdings; and what restrictions apply, with particular reference to the ability to control similar events on other holdings in an area.

(204433)

144
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will respond to the consultation on upward only rent review, which closed in September.

(204814)

145
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the location is of each fire control room in England, broken down by region; and how many people are employed by each.

(204815)

146
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 6th December, Official Report, columns 346-7W, on Ministry of Defence land, what assessment he has made of (a) the direct benefits for English Partnerships, (b) the implications for the current planning systems and (c) the effects on local communities; what procedures are in place to audit the arrangement; which surplus sites in Hampshire will be affected by the new arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

(205004)

147
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate the Government has made of the impact on local election turnout of Electoral Commission Circular EC34/2004; and if he will make a statement.

(204757)

148
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on the use by Liverpool City Council of the powers to declare a renewal area without having published the findings of a Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment.

(204257)

149
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much neighbourhood renewal funding earmarked for wards with high levels of deprivation was transferred by Liverpool City Council for the establishment of a city of culture information office in Liverpool city centre.

(204258)

150
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the Government Office for the North West was consulted when the neighbourhood renewal funding earmarked for wards with high levels of deprivation was transferred by Liverpool City Council for use in the establishment of a city of culture information office in Liverpool city centre.

(204259)

151
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what (a) entitlements are conferred and (b) obligations are imposed by the notice recently published by Liverpool City Council of a renewal area in the Kensington New Deal and Elm Park areas.

(204260)

152
Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether civil servants accompanied him on his tour of the North East on 1st November.

(204590)

153
Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what procedures are in place within his Department to ensure that Ministers do not use public resources for political or party advantage.

(204591)

154
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many of those applying for anti-social behaviour orders in the past 12 months were registered social landlords.

(204166)

155
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether decisions on appointments to rent assessment panels may be appealed against.

(204408)

156
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Office in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204358)

157
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204374)

158
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in his Office in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204519)

159
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether Planning Delivery Grant is ring-fenced funding.

(204487)

160
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much Planning Delivery Grant has been allocated to each local authority in each year since its creation.

(204488)

161
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what criteria are used for the allocation of Planning Delivery Grant to individual local authorities in England.

(204489)

162
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what powers local authorities have to levy council tax discounts for energy efficiency measures.

(204490)

163
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will publish a regional breakdown of his Department's budget allocations for 2004-05 for planned (a) revenue and (b) capital expenditure on its (i) housing and homelessness, (ii) neighbourhood renewal and (iii) sustainable communities programmes.

(204736)

164
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204284)

165
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204303)

166
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many units of social housing are deemed not to meet thermal efficiency rating Standard Assessment Procedure 65, broken down by local authority area.

(204629)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

167
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what his policy is on the use of telephones in his Department by members of staff for their own personal use for (a) domestic and (b) international calls; and if he will make a statement.

(204730)

168
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what measures he has taken to ensure the telephones in his Department are not used by staff for making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers.

(204731)

169
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the estimated cost to his Department is of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic and (b) international numbers.

(204732)

170
Mr Joe Benton (Bootle):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether the Government has given Sefton Education Authority dispensation to remove the small schools funding formula.

(205006)

171
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what resources have been allocated to regional Learning and Skills Council offices for (a) start up, (b) running costs and (c) outreach work.

(204495)

172
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the experience of Employer Training pilots and its application to the national scheme roll-out.

(204496)

173
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what action he is taking in conjunction with the devolved administrations to harmonise vocational qualification frameworks across the UK, with particular reference to the needs of national and EU-based employers.

(204497)

174
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what action he is taking to improve the coherence and convergence of funding streams for vocational education within schools, further and higher education.

(204498)

175
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what action he is taking to improve skills within black and minority ethnic communities.

(204499)

176
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on recent developments in the progression of young people from apprenticeships into higher education.

(204500)

177
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will make a statement on the role of public sector purchasers in advancing the skills agenda.

(204501)

178
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what action he is taking to improve liaison between sector skills councils and the relevant awarding bodies.

(204502)

179
N Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what measures he is taking to eliminate the funding gap between schools and colleges in the London Borough of Barnet.

(203994)

180
N Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans he has to expand vocational education and training for adults in the London Borough of Barnet.

(203995)

181
N Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether it is his intention to continue the 14 to 16 increased flexibility programme.

(203996)

182
N Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many extra 16 to 18 year olds he expects to stay in education as a result of the education maintenance allowance in the London Borough of Barnet.

(203997)

183
N Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what research his Department has undertaken to ascertain the willingness of employers to pay for training.

(203998)

184
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost of students dropping out of their first degree courses in the latest year for which figures are available.

(204660)

185
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the relationship is between his Department and Partnerships for Schools; and who the members of the board of Partnerships for Schools are.

(204395)

186
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne had applied for an education maintenance allowance as at the end of October; how many had received a notice of entitlement; and how many had been granted.

(204406)

187
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the total funding per head in real terms was for pupils aged (a) three-10 years and (b) 11-15 years in (i) the City of Newcastle upon Tyne (ii) England, (iii) local education authorities in the North East region and (iv) local education authorities in Tyne and Wear; in each year from 1997-98 to 2004-05.

(204407)

188
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many applications for adult learning grants have been made in the North East; how many have been granted; and what the average grant has been.

(204412)

189
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what research he has carried out, and what conclusions he has reached, on the effect of in-year pupil mobility on educational achievement; and what rates of pupil mobility were experienced in 2003-04 in each local education authority-supported school in Newcastle upon Tyne.

(204416)

190
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many opportunity bursaries were taken up at universities and further education (FE) colleges in each region in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05; how many grants were taken up by universities and FE colleges in each region in 2004; and how many (i) grants and (ii) opportunity bursaries were taken up at each university and FE college in the North East region in (A) 2001-02, (B) 2002-03, (C) 2003-04 and (D) 2004-05.

(204618)

191
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the London Borough of Wandsworth are connected to the internet.

(204740)

192
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, of each £1 the Government lends in student loans, what percentage is (a) repaid and (b) not repaid; and of (b), what percentage is not repaid due to the interest subsidy on student loans.

(204929)

193
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the projected expenditure is of the Student Loans Company on (a) income-contingent loans, (b) hardship loans and (c) mortgage loans for the academic years (i) 2001-02, (ii) 2002-03, (iii) 2003-04 and (iv) 2004-05.

(204930)

194
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the Government's actual expenditure on the interest subsidy on student loans was in the academic years (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05.

(204931)

195
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the average income of (a) a graduate and (b) a non-graduate over a 35-year career; and what estimate he has made of the average yield from (i) income tax and (ii) national insurance contributions of (A) a graduate and (B) a non-graduate over a 35-year career.

(204932)

196
N Mr Hilton Dawson (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how he plans to measure the effects of amendments to the notification scheme for private fostering set out in section 44 of the Children Act 2004.

(204203)

197
N Mr Hilton Dawson (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people in each local authority have notified their authority that they are acting as private foster carers.

(204204)

198
N Mr Hilton Dawson (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people were prosecuted for failing to notify a local authority of their intention privately to foster a child in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04.

(204205)

199
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate entrants to (i) agricultural colleges and (ii) university agricultural departments there were in each of the last five years.

(204434)

200
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the Department's strategy is towards encouraging entrants to agricultural colleges and university agricultural departments for (a) farm-based courses and (b) non-farm-based rural courses.

(204435)

201
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the (a) agricultural colleges and (b) university agricultural departments that have closed over the last five years.

(204436)

202
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many entrants there were to each (a) course, (b) college and (c) department for equine-based courses in each of the last five years.

(204437)

203
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many extra 16 to 18 years olds he expects to remain in education as a result of education maintenance allowances in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) South West England.

(204907)

204
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions the Higher Education Funding Council for England has had with the University of Keele on proposals to close the University's physics department.

(204047)

205
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will request that the Higher Education Funding Council for England discusses with the University of Keele the conclusions of its Science at Keele Review.

(204048)

206
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will request that the Higher Education Funding Council for England contacts the University of Keele before the meeting of the University's Council on 16th December to discuss the reasons for the proposal to close its physics course.

(204049)

207
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will request that the Higher Education Funding Council for England urgently assess the impact of the proposed closure of the physics department at the University of Keele on (a) access for students to basic science in North Staffordshire and (b) the economic and regeneration prospects of this sub-region.

(204050)

208
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the University of Keele on its proposals to close its physics and astrophysics courses.

(204051)

209
N Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) recurrent and (b) non-recurrent expenditure of the Learning and Skills Council was in 2004-05; and what the estimates are for (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07.

(204046)

210
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how the figure of 1,460 job reductions planned for his Department was arrived at; and if he will make a statement.

(204522)

211
Alice Mahon (Halifax):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether public funds will be awarded to the Vardy Foundation to sponsor academies.

(204261)

212
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what funding has been allocated to sport in secondary schools for 2005-06 to develop potential medal winners for the 2012 Olympic games.

(204389)

213
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what investment was made in secondary schools in advance of the 2004 Athens Olympics aimed at increasing the UK medal total.

(204484)

214
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what investment into secondary schools is planned for 2005 with the intention of producing medal winners at the 2016 Olympic Games.

(204485)

215
Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many nannies have (a) applied for and (b) received Government accreditation via the home carers scheme.

(204405)

216
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204349)

217
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204365)

218
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204508)

219
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many faith schools there were in England in each year since 2000, broken down by religion.

(204985)

220
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children are involved in the Sure Start schemes operating in Pendle.

(205008)

221
Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who has responsibility to ensure that the compulsory National Curriculum physical education requirement in respect of swimming is met by schools; and what the route of redress for pupils is if it is not.

(204787)

222
Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what progress has been made to improve swimming tuition at Key Stage 2 since the publication of the Swimming in Key Stage 2 Report by Ofsted in 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(204788)

223
Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many school swimming pools in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) England have been removed since 1997.

(204789)

224
Mr Clive Soley (Ealing, Acton & Shepherd's Bush):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans he has to expand vocational education and training for adults in Ealing and Acton.

(204417)

225
David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the real terms change in the amount of central government funding allocated to Leicestershire Education Authority has been since 1997.

(204737)

226
David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the spend per head has been on primary school pupils in Leicestershire in each academic year since 1997-98.

(204747)

227
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what consultation took place with (a) local education authorities, (b) schools and (c) representatives of teachers before the change to three-year school budgets with ring-fenced grants and minimum funding guarantees; and if he will place the consultation document and a summary of responses in the Library.

(204045)

228
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of pupils at each Key Stage achieved the standard expected of (a) pupils of their age, (b) pupils at each year below their age and (c) pupils at each year above their age in (i) reading/English and (ii) mathematics in each year since 1997.

(204338)

229
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what evidence the Pupil Level Annual Schools Census data provides of the capacity of pupils in primary schools to be taught through the medium of English.

(204339)

230
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204287)

231
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204306)

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

232
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Fuel Poverty Implementation Plan will be published.

(204276)

233
N Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the resources that have been allocated under each departmental heading and subheading in the 2004 departmental report following the Spending Review 2004 for each year to 2007-08.

(203986)

234
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many households have been assisted by the Home Energy Efficiency and Warm Front schemes in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne since 1st April 1997; and what the average size of grant was in each financial year.

(204403)

235
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been spent on flood protection measures within the Greater London area in each of the last five years.

(204739)

236
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when it was decided to announce an inquiry into Ofwat's performance on its recommendations on price limits for water and sewerage for England and Wales; and if she will list representations she received on the matter.

(204539)

237
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria were used in the selection process of John Baker as the Chairman of the Ofwat review on its recommendations on price limits for water sewerage.

(204549)

238
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when Environment Direct is to be launched; whether it will be inter-active; and whether it will have facilities to demonstrate the need for local environmental change.

(204894)

239
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contribution motor vehicles have made to carbon dioxide emissions in each decade since 1974; and what her estimates are for the next three decades.

(204895)

240
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the US Administration; and what the outcome of those discussions was.

(204896)

241
N Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of supplies of (a) fresh and frozen retail, (b) catering and (c) other (i) turkey, (ii) chicken and (iii) other poultry in the UK was imported in each of the last five years for which records are available.

(204197)

242
N Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much turkey, produced in the United Kingdom broken down by (a) weight and (b) number of head, was exported to (i) European Union member states and (ii) third countries in each of the last five years for which records are available.

(204198)

243
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice her Department has offered to farmers in respect of the operation of the single farm payment for those whose farms include (a) access to common land, (b) land which has been part of an agri-environmental scheme during the reference period, (c) land which during the reference period was in a different single farm payment regime than applied during the application period and (d) land which has been subject to a tenancy agreement for a period less than six years in length.

(204577)

244
N Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how she plans to monitor the impact of the guidance issued by the Tenancy Reform Industry Group on landlord/tenant aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy reforms from January 2005.

(204578)

245
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) role and (b) impact of the profit pasturage agreements between landlords and users in respect of Single Farm Payment entitlements.

(204579)

246
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the application of the precautionary principle in the Common Fisheries Policy.

(204216)

247
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the total EU fishing catch was taken in waters within the (a) UK 12 mile limit and (b) UK 200 mile or median line limit in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by species.

(204218)

248
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the application of the Hague Preference; and in what circumstances she is prepared to invoke it.

(204219)

249
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the estimated discards were in UK waters, in the last three years for which statistics are available, broken down by category of fish.

(204220)

250
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what Total Allowable Catch permitted for waters within the United Kingdom's 200 mile or median line limit, broken down by fish type is; what the Total Allowable Catch is for UK vessels as a proportion of each; and if she will make a statement.

(204221)

251
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's latest estimate is of the cost of the Common Agricultural Policy to the average family per week in grocery prices; and what the cost was in 1997.

(204463)

252
Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are taken by the Environment Agency or the Petroleum Officer where a risk assessment shows that a storage system at a petrol station poses a significant risk to the environment or human health and no harm reduction has been undertaken by the site operator; and under what circumstances they can take action to close a site.

(204627)

253
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been spent on entertainment by her Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204343)

254
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204377)

255
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204517)

256
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many bee disease inspectors there were in each year since 1997; and how many she expects there to be in 2005-06.

(204552)

257
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has held with Bee Disease Insurance Ltd regarding her intended reductions to the Bee Health Programme.

(204553)

258
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of planned reductions in funding on the Bee Health Programme.

(204554)

259
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many outbreaks of European Foulbrood have occurred in bee stocks in each year since 1997.

(204555)

260
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the principal grants available to farmers in Pendle; how many farmers were in receipt of such grants on the latest date for which figures are available; and what the average amount claimed in each category of grant was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(205009)

261
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role is played by the two non-executive directors on her Department's management board; and what remuneration each receives.

(204323)

262
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount to be raised in fines from local authorities under the Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme once it is in operation.

(204492)

263
N Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what legislation is in place to prevent vehicle dealers from trading on public highways.

(203291)

264
N Mr Paul Tyler (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what products containing organophosphates are authorised for use in the United Kingdom, in (a) agriculture, (b) horticulture, (c) industrial and (d) domestic circumstances; by which companies each is manufactured; what quantities she estimates were supplied in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement on their future use.

(204162)

265
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204288)

266
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204307)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

267
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48-hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

(204168)

268
Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the new Chairman of the British Council was appointed following an open competition; whether a recruitment or executive search firm was used in the process; and how many candidates were shortlisted.

(204401)

269
Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what annual remuneration and expenses will be available to the Chairman of the British Council in the next year.

(204402)

270
Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to persuade those countries who have not yet signed or ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to do so.

(204418)

271
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the President of Pakistan on that country's laws of blasphemy.

(204528)

272
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will seek a legal opinion as to whether the UN General Assembly resolution 2504, passed on 19th November 1969, precludes the UN Secretary-General from instigating a Review of the United Nations' own conduct in relation to the 1968-69 Act of Free Choice in West Papua; and if he will make a statement.

(204271)

273
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he made to the President of Pakistan during his visit to the UK on the treatment of minorities in Pakistan, with particular regard to (a) Ahmadiyya Muslims and (b) the use of the Law of Blasphemy in that country; and if he will make a statement.

(204950)

274
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on his policy towards the maintenance of the EU arms embargo against the People's Republic of China; and what representations he has received from (a) the People's Republic of China, (b) businesses, (c) Chinese organisations campaigning for democracy in China and (d) other EU countries and institutions, on this issue.

(204214)

275
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list changes to the English text of the European Constitution that have occurred since the Intergovernmental Conference, broken down by article.

(204215)

276
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions the European Commission has used articles (a) 94, (b) 95 and (c) 308 TEC as the legal basis for proposals over each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement.

(204224)

277
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list activities in which his Department has been involved to promote the benefits of the Government's policy towards the European Union in the last 12 months; what the costs were; what partner organisations were involved; and if he will make a statement.

(204226)

278
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which EU budget lines may be used for information campaigns; how much was allocated under each line for the present year; which projects under each line have operated in the United Kindom within the past 24 months; and which projects he intends to support within the United Kingdom as part of (a) the EU Constitution debate and (b) campaigns to explain the benefits of EU membership.

(204227)

279
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries he estimates to have the 20 largest expatriate communities of UK citizens; and how many UK citizens he estimates live in each.

(204456)

280
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list those items of legislation brought in under TEC articles (a) 94, (b) 95 and (c) 308 since May 1997; in how many of these cases the UK Government raised the question of appropriate treaty basis; and if he will make a statement.

(204457)

281
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the activities to raise awareness of the EU that his Department is undertaking; and who the participants are.

(204459)

282
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the use of articles in the draft EU Constitution as a treaty base for (a) legislation and (b) legal proceedings by (i) the Commission, (ii) the European Parliament and (iii) the European Court of Justice; if he will list those occasions when articles of the draft Constitution have been cited as legal basis for legislation or legal proceedings; and what his policy is towards the citation of such articles.

(204460)

283
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library a list of those documents held by his Department that (a) may be disclosed under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) have been destroyed within the preceding four months, that pertain to (i) the European Constitution and (ii) the criteria for acceding to the euro.

(204462)

284
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) NATO and (b) EU documents were among those stolen from the home of the Estonian Minister of Defence; and if he will make a statement.

(204465)

285
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the case of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche was raised during the November 2004 UK China Human Rights Dialogue round.

(204624)

286
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the outcome of the November 2004 UK China Human Rights Dialogue round.

(204626)

287
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) European Union counterparts, (b) the United Nations and (c) the Indonesian government regarding the (i) human rights situation in West Papua and (ii) special autonomy law concerning the province of West Papua; and if he will make a statement.

(204765)

288
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in the province of West Papua, Indonesia.

(204766)

289
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts on the negotiation of a new agreement with Israel under the European Neighbourhood Policy; and if he will make a statement.

(204767)

290
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with (a) the European Union and (b) the United States of America regarding the lifting of the arms embargo against China; and if he will make a statement.

(204768)

291
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 human rights situation in Israel.

(204769)

292
Mr Michael Moore (Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when (a) the EU-Israel Association Council and (b) the EU-Israel Association Committee last met; what conclusions were arrived at; and when they are next scheduled to meet.

(204770)

293
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many citizens have been killed as a result of military action by coalition forces in Iraq since April 2002.

(204229)

294
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civilians have been killed as a result of paramilitary action by insurgents in Iraqi since April 2002.

(204230)

295
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204356)

296
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204372)

297
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the (a) amount spent, (b) name of the recipient and (c) item provided in respect of gifts for foreign dignitaries since 1997.

(204455)

298
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204521)

299
Adam Price (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when British officials were first informed of allegations of mistreatment at Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq.

(204785)

300
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of recent reports of (a) attacks on aid convoys in Darfur and (b) aerial bombings by the Sudanese military in Darfur; when he last raised these matters with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Sudanese Government; and if he will make a statement.

(204640)

301
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of recent reports of violent clashes in the Mudug region and in Hobyo town in Somalia; what his most recent estimate of the number of people affected by the violence is; and if he will make a statement.

(204641)

302
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the commercial operations of the Hawiye clan in Somalia since 1997 and (b) the Hawiye clan's contribution to and role in the situation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

(204642)

303
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) political, (b) social and (c) economic situation in Somaliland; and if he will make a statement.

(204643)

304
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with (i) members and (ii) representatives of the Government of China concerning the access and cooperation granted to (A) international organisations, (B) non-governmental organisations and (C) private companies seeking to identify and treat HIV/AIDS infected people in (1) China and (2) Chinese prisons; how these discussions have progressed since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(204644)

305
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the situation in Ukraine on (a) oil and (b) gas supplies to (i) the UK and (ii) the EU; and if he will make a statement.

(204380)

306
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to protect the supply of (a) oil and (b) gas to the UK via transit pipelines passing through Ukraine.

(204381)

307
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Ukrainian Government and (b) the Russian Government about the protection of oil and gas transit routes that pass through Ukraine from interruption to flow during the current political situation in Ukraine.

(204383)

308
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and Burkina Faso regarding the use of border areas by rebel militia from Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire.

(204471)

309
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in resolving the Rockall continental shelf dispute with Denmark and Iceland.

(204472)

310
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and (a) China, (b) Taiwan, (c) Vietnam, (d) Malaysia and (e) the Philippines regarding territorial claims on the Spratly Islands.

(204473)

311
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and (a) India and (b) Bhutan regarding Indian Nagaland insurgents.

(204474)

312
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and Bolivia regarding its claim on the Atacama corridor in Chile, to secure sovereign maritime access for Bolivian natural gas.

(204475)

313
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions have taken place between the Government and the Governments of (a) Nepal and (b) India regarding Maoist insurgency; what assessment has been made of the impact of the insurgency on the stability of the wider region; and what steps the Government is taking to assist (i) India and (ii) Nepal in combating this threat.

(204800)

314
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list the major trade deals between China and African countries of which the Government is aware; and if he will make a statement.

(204801)

315
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has been made of the likely implications of ending the EU-China Arms embargo on UK relations with (a) North Korea, (b) South Korea, (c) the United States, (d) Taiwan and (e) China.

(204802)

316
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment has been made of the likely implications of ending the EU-China Arms embargo on (a) the UK defence industry and (b) trade with the United States.

(204803)

317
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with which individuals and organisations his Department has consulted in relation to the proposed Draft UN Declaration for Indigenous People's Rights.

(204806)

318
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) discussions he has had with and (b) representations he has received from Commonwealth governments regarding the proposed Draft UN Declaration for Indigenous People's Rights.

(204808)

319
Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what action he has taken following the beating up of Dr Mustafa Barghouti, Presidential Candidate in the Occupied Territories of Palestine, by Israeli soldiers.

(204724)

320
Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he will make to the Israeli Government concerning the release of Marwan Barghouti from prison in order that he can take part in the Palestinian Authority presidential elections.

(204761)

321
Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli Government concerning road networks in the Occupied Territories which can be used only by Israelis.

(204762)

322
Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on the policy reasons for the UK's abstention in the UN General Assembly vote on a programme of work to include the commencement of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty.

(204763)

323
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204308)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

324
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the use of telephones in his Department by members of staff for their own personal use for (a) domestic and (b) international calls; and if he will make a statement.

(204727)

325
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures he has taken to ensure the telephones in his Department are not used by staff for making unauthorised personal calls to international numbers.

(204728)

326
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the estimated cost to his Department is of unauthorised personal calls made by members of staff to (a) domestic and (b) international numbers.

(204729)

327
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what problems have been encountered by primary care trusts which have not yet been able to finalise their arrangements for out-of-hours care under the new general medical services contract.

(204957)

328
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he will take after the end of the year in respect of primary care trusts that have not yet finalised their arrangements for out-of-hours care under the new general medical services contract.

(204958)

329
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many primary care trusts his Department estimated would have finalised their arrangements for out-of-hours care under the new general medical services contract by the current month.

(204982)

330
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many primary care trusts (a) have finalised their arrangements for out-of-hours care under the new general medical services contract, (b) are in the process of finalising their arrangements and (c) have indicated that they will have problems implementing new arrangements by the end of the current year.

(204983)

331
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding his Department has allocated for increases in the number of NHS dentists in England by October 2005.

(204984)

332
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether changes have had to be made to procurement of (a) wheelchairs, (b) trolleys and (c) hospital beds in the NHS because of increased average body weight of patients over the last 30 years.

(205018)

333
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the risk-adjusted backlog maintenance cost for the NHS in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

(205023)

334
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost to the National Health Service of suspensions of medical and dental staff in the latest quarter for which figures are available.

(205024)

335
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the Jarvis-led private finance initiative contract for the Whittington Hospital extension; and what action is being taken by his Department to ensure that the construction work is completed within a schedule agreed by all parties.

(205027)

336
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the work of the Health Protection Agency to combat MRSA in care homes.

(204582)

337
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who is responsible for monitoring the implementation of infection control standards in care homes.

(204583)

338
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research the Government has carried out into (a) the prevalence of MRSA in care homes and (b) the effectiveness of infection control practices used in care homes.

(204584)

339
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what obligation is placed on the Health Protection Agency to carry out an investigation when a care home resident dies of MRSA; and what such an inquiry involves.

(204585)

340
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action he is taking to improve the training of care home staff in regard to tackling MRSA.

(204610)

341
Brian Cotter (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Public Health Medicine and Environmental Group has made on updating the existing guidance on infection control in nursing homes.

(204611)

342
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been allocated to schemes under the Local Investment Finance Trust (LIFT) programme in the Newcastle Primary Care Trust area; how much has been spent; and what the planned opening dates of new facilities financed under LIFT in the City of Newcastle are.

(204410)

343
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many courses of hospital-based treatment for psoriasis there were in each strategic health authority area (a) in total and (b) per head of population from 1998 to 2003; and if he will estimate the cost of each course of hospital-based treatment.

(204411)

344
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff there have been in the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust in each year of its existence, set out in the same manner as in his Answer to the honourable Member for Bury St Edmunds on 8th September, Official Report, column 1277W.

(204427)

345
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were on NHS (a) alcohol and (b) drug rehabilitation schemes in the Newcastle City Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1998-99.

(204615)

346
Mr John Cummings (Easington):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of MRSA and how many deaths arising therefrom there were at the (a) Sunderland Royal Hospital, (b) Durham University Hospital, (c) Hartlepool University Hospital, (d) North Tees Hospital and (e) James Cook Hospital - South Tees in each of the last five years.

(204764)

347
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Coventry are on waiting lists for digital hearing aids.

(203585)

348
Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many older people are in receipt of long-term care in the Coventry area.

(204839)

349
Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what methods his Department uses to monitor the performance of doctors.

(204840)

350
N Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the Barnet Chase Farm Hospital Trust communications strategy.

(204097)

351
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many wards have been closed over the last year because of midwife shortages.

(204208)

352
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the maximum waiting time is for cosmetic surgery on the NHS.

(204210)

353
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of breast milk banks; and if he will make a statement.

(204211)

354
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria are used to decide whether (a) plastic and (b) cosmetic surgery is urgent; and if he will make a statement.

(204212)

355
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what working arrangements Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust has in place with other mental health trusts.

(204040)

356
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether plans have been made by Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust to merge with Oxfordshire Mental Health Trust; and if he will make a statement.

(204041)

357
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions have taken place about joint working between representatives of Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust and Oxfordshire Mental Health Trust.

(204042)

358
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment (a) the Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust and (b) Wycombe Primary Care Trust have made of (i) the demand and (ii) the need for services by people with mental health problems in Wycombe constituency.

(204043)

359
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the (a) Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust and (b) Wycombe Primary Care Trust have made of (i) the demand and (ii) the need for respite care by (A) service users and (B) carers in Wycombe constituency.

(204044)

360
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the complementary (a) treatments and (b) therapies which are available to patients on the NHS.

(204331)

361
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what scores were achieved by each (a) local authority and (b) primary care trust in (i) Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and (ii) Easington against each indicator used to determine the spearhead group of local authorities and primary care trusts; and what the source of each score was.

(204951)

362
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that medical imaging records can be transferred between health regions.

(203985)

363
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department is taking to create incentives for dental professionals to work in the NHS sector.

(204821)

364
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish information for (a) dentists and (b) patients on how the new system of dental contracts will work including how much patients will have to pay.

(204822)

365
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of training dental nurses to conduct simple regular dental check-ups.

(204823)

366
N Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of the detailed patient environment action teams' results for Evesham Community Hospital for (a) 2004 and (b) 2003.

(204360)

367
Mr Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the criteria assessed by patient environment action teams when devising scores for cleanliness in hospitals.

(204361)

368
Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will conduct an audit in early 2005 to assess whether his Department's guidance on improving hospital cleaning to fight MRSA is being implemented.

(204201)

369
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual budget of the Dental Practice Board was in each year since 1997; and how many staff it employed in each year.

(204265)

370
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the likely impact of the new dentists' contract on the workload of the Dental Practice Board.

(204266)

371
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to announce the functions of the NHS Business Services Authority.

(204267)

372
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what he expects the financial effects to be of the NHS Business Services Authority taking over the functions of the Dental Practice Board.

(204268)

373
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department expects to publish its review of patient dental charges.

(204269)

374
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to publish a response to the consultation on proposals for strengthening the General Dental Council.

(204270)

375
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the likely change in the number of jobs in dental laboratories in England as a result of industry restructuring in response to the Options for Change policy.

(204645)

376
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the new dentists' contract on (a) patients and (b) the dental laboratories industry.

(204646)

377
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the new dentists' contract on dental laboratories in personal dentist service pilot sites.

(204647)

378
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department made of the impact of the Options for Change policy on the amount of laboratory work commissioned by personal dentist service dentists.

(204648)

379
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204352)

380
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204368)

381
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204514)

382
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses there are in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire; and how many there were in 1997.

(204340)

383
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made for central funding of health per capita in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the next three years.

(204804)

384
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hits have been recorded on the MS Decision Maker website since it was set up; and what assessment he has made of its usefulness in helping those with multiple sclerosis decide on the most appropriate drug therapy.

(204986)

385
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on (a) the financial situation of and (b) the future prospects for Bedfordshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust.

(204332)

386
Jonathan Shaw (Chatham & Aylesford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review the inspection process of the South East Region Social Care Commission for the registration requirements of (a) Shalder House and (b) Platters Farm in the Medway towns; and if he will make a statement.

(204657)

387
Jonathan Shaw (Chatham & Aylesford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, under what provisions of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Standards Act 2003 the inspection of intermediate care accommodation is required.

(204658)

388
Jonathan Shaw (Chatham & Aylesford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the South East Region Social Care Commission's decision to categorise intermediate care accommodation as the same as permanent residential care homes for registration purposes; and if he will make a statement.

(204659)

389
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women over 24 weeks pregnant have received abortions in Spanish clinics paid for in whole or part from public funds in each of the last three years.

(202713)

390
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much public money was made available to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service for its work in each of the last three years.

(202714)

391
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to give Synthetic Insulin Tolerance Syndrome drug protection under orphan drug status; and if he will take steps to ensure there are adequate available supplies of animal insulin from British animals.

(202715)

392
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request the Committee on the Safety of Medicine to review its data on the application of insulin treatment for diabetic patients; and if he will list licensed manufacturers of human insulin.

(202716)

393
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the ingredients in human insulin used to treat the symptoms of diabetes; and what steps are taken to ensure that diabetic patients injecting human insulin are advised of the likely side effects.

(202717)

394
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that the guidelines for general practitioners on administering human insulin to diabetic patients include the latest information regarding its side-effects; and if he will make a statement.

(203155)

395
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many reports were made to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines (CSM) about adverse drug reactions for the application of human insulin to diabetic sufferers in each of the last three years; how many human insulin drugs have been issued with a licence by the CSM; and if he will instruct the CSM to obtain all trial data on the effects of human insulins on diabetics.

(203156)

396
N Mr Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the Milk Token Hotline on 7th December had a pre-recorded message informing callers that all outstanding tokens would be issued by 29th November; when he will change the message; how many overdue milk tokens remained to be issued on 7th December; and if he will make a statement.

(203976)

397
David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are in place to ensure that the present funding levels for NHS audiology services are maintained after April 2005.

(204738)

398
Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the prevalence of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement.

(204481)

399
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204289)

400
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204309)

401
Angela Watkinson (Upminster):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department contributed towards the funding of the Family Planning Association publication, Girls Out Loud.

(204396)

402
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the appeal procedures for the Skipton Fund are with regard to (a) the number of lay people and (b) the number of medical members on the appeal panel; what qualifications are expected of them; and how members of the panel are selected.

(204557)

403
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria are used to select lay members of the appeal panel for the Skipton Fund.

(204558)

404
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many members of the appeal panel of the Skipton Fund are from the legal profession.

(204559)

405
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, where in Scotland appeal panels for the Skipton Fund sit.

(204560)

406
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether legal members of the appeal panel for the Skipton Fund are selected from within the Scottish Justice System when hearing appeals from Scottish applicants.

(204561)

407
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether appellants of the Skipton Fund are able to attend panel hearings.

(204562)

408
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether appellants of the Skipton Fund have access to expert opinion to challenge the decision of the medical panel.

(204563)

409
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the documents used by the Skipton Fund in reaching decisions are made available to the appellant.

(204564)

410
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether applicants are entitled to (a) legal representation and (b) legal aid when appealing Skipton Fund decisions.

(204565)

411
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the funding for the appeals panel for Skipton Fund decisions comes from the Skipton Fund.

(204566)

412
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of the Skipton Fund is used for administrative purposes, broken down by (a) rent, (b) business rates, (c) phone costs, (d) utilities, (e) costs of medical panels, (f) costs of processing initial decisions and (g) costs of processing appeals.

(204567)

413
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional funding is given to the MacFarlane Trust to enable it to administer the Skipton Fund; and where the additional funding comes from.

(204568)

414
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have made an application to the Skipton Fund for compensation.

(204569)

415
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applicants to the Skipton Fund have received the first stage payment of £20,000; and how many applicants have gone on to receive the further stage payment of £25,000.

(204570)

416
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applicants to the Skipton Fund have had their (a) Stage 1 and (b) Stage 2 applications (i) declined and (ii) accepted.

(204571)

417
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applicants to the Skipton Fund have applications outstanding for (a) Stage 1 and (b) Stage 2 compensation payments.

(204572)

418
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the total sum paid to date for (a) Stage 1 and (b) Stage 2 compensation from the Skipton Fund.

(204573)

419
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many unsuccessful applicants to the Skipton Fund have requested an appeal; and how many unsuccessful applicants have had an appeal heard.

(204574)

420
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the percentage of those who apply for an appeal to the Skipton Fund whose appeal is heard.

(204575)

421
Pete Wishart (North Tayside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many appellants to to the Skipton Fund have been successful in their appeal.

(204576)

Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department

422
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what remedy is available for a young person, whose parents are mistakenly informed by the police that he has been spoken to about his conduct on the basis that his name and address have been given by another individual to the police.

(204810)

423
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what standard of proof is required, and upon whom, when there is a question about whether a young person, whose parents have been informed in writing that he has been spoken to by the police about his conduct, asserts that he was not the individual spoken to.

(204811)

424
Vera Baird (Redcar):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what opportunity is given to a young person to show that he is not the person who was spoken to about his conduct by the police before it is recorded that his parents have been notified that he has been spoken to about his conduct.

(204812)

425
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will instruct the Visa Correspondence Section of UK Visas to respond to correspondence from the honourable Member for Edinburgh West, regarding a case involving Qamar Zamanai Mansoori and Fareda Ui-Haz Sadique (Now Fareda Bano).

(204772)

426
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many road traffic police officers there were in 1996; and how many there are now.

(203992)

427
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Scotland with regard to identity cards.

(204609)

428
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the provisions for introduction of identity cards in Scotland will be the same as for the rest of the United Kingdom.

(204677)

429
Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the effect of having separate definitions of anti-social behaviour in the Housing Act 1996 and the Crime and Disorder Act 1999.

(204534)

430
Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many housing-related anti-social behaviour incidents have been reported in each of the last seven years.

(204535)

431
Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidelines his Department has given to agencies on assessing whether behaviour is anti-social.

(204536)

432
Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the work of crime and disorder reduction partnerships in aiding co-ordination between different agencies in tackling housing-related anti-social behaviour.

(204537)

433
Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to place acceptable behaviour contracts on a statutory basis.

(204538)

434
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions occurred in each of the last three years of drivers who were incapacitated as a consequence of (a) alcohol, (b) illegal drugs and (c) legal pharmaceuticals; and if he will make a statement.

(204960)

435
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Probation Service Pay and Rewards Review and the Workload Measurement Tool will be implemented before the full introduction of the National Offender Management Service.

(204962)

436
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether liaison arrangements with magistrates at a local level will continue to be based on the local criminal justice areas after theintroduction of the National Offender Management Service.

(204963)

437
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an independent Chair will be appointed for each regional offender management area in England and Wales.

(204964)

438
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for cost-effectiveness of the purchaser or provider model proposed for the Probation Service in delivering the proposed National Offender Management Service reforms.

(204965)

439
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation will occur with stakeholders before further restructuring of the Probation Service in England and Wales is put in place.

(204889)

440
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps will be taken to improve morale within the National Probation Service.

(204890)

441
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has for private companies who run prisons in England and Wales to be given additional responsibilities, including enhanced disciplinary powers.

(204891)

442
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representation the relevant trade unions have on the National Offender Management Service Board.

(204892)

443
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vacancies there are at each grade in each probation area in England and Wales at the latest date available.

(204893)

444
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officers and staff have (a) been tested for tuberculosis and (b) tested positive for tuberculosis (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) between 1st January and 1st December.

(203712)

445
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officers and staff were waiting on 6th December for results from a test for tuberculosis.

(203713)

446
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officers and staff (a) were tested for HIV/Aids and (b) tested positive for HIV/Aids, following an incident in which they were injured (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) from 1st January to 1st December.

(203714)

447
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison officers and staff were waiting on 6th December for the outcome of a test for HIV/Aids following an incident in prison in which they were injured.

(203715)

448
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offenders were held in prison awaiting deportation at 1st December, broken down by (a) those who have been awaiting deportation for (i) one week, (ii) two to four weeks, (iii) four to eight weeks, (iv) eight to 12 weeks and (v) more than 12 weeks and (b) nationality.

(203734)

449
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the sites in Yorkshire that have been considered for the building of new prison establishments.

(204419)

450
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which sites in the Elmet constituency have been identified as potential sites for a new prison establishment; and when the decision on whether to build a new prison in Elmet will be taken.

(204420)

451
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who is responsible for taking the final decision on the location for the building of new prisons.

(204421)

452
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prison officers and (b) staff are waiting for the results of a test for hepatitis C following an incident in prison in which they were injured as at 7th December.

(204619)

453
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prison officers and (b) staff have (i) been tested for hepatitis C and (ii) tested positive for hepatitis C following an incident in which they were injured in each year since January 1997 and from 1st January to 1st December 2004.

(204620)

454
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prison officers and (b) staff have been injured in incidents involving fires at (i) Wetherby, (ii) Ashfield, (iii) Camphill, (iv) Durham and (v) Winchester prison establishments.

(204621)

455
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are in prison for dealing in class A drugs.

(204776)

456
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were arrested for supplying Class A drugs to children in each of the last six years.

(204777)

457
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average sentence was in each of the last six years for people charged with supplying Class A drugs to children.

(204778)

458
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average sentence in each of the last six years was for people charged with supplying Class A drugs.

(204779)

459
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were arrested for dealing in Class A drugs in each of the last six years.

(204780)

460
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to amend the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 to allow (a) documentary and (b) photographic evidence relevant to the case but not presented at the trial to be used in an appeal.

(204949)

461
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidelines are in place to ensure the detention of young offenders within 50 miles of their homes.

(204398)

462
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assistance is provided to family members of young offenders detained more than 50 miles from their homes to enable them to make regular visits.

(204399)

463
Mr Andrew Hunter (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will instruct the Essex Constabulary to give to Mr Jeremy Bamber's solicitors all audio tapes in its possession relating to events at White House Farm, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, 7th August 1985.

(204678)

464
N Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many traffic police are operating in Essex; and how many there were in 1997.

(204359)

465
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cyclists were (a) cautioned and (b) charged for (i) going through red lights and (ii) cycling in the dark without lights in the last period for which figures are available.

(204813)

466
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many criminal injuries were caused by the use of an airgun in (a) the UK, (b) the North East and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in the last year for which figures are available.

(204819)

467
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to bring forward proposals (a) to make the sale of all types of airguns to under-18s illegal and (b) to license the general sale of airguns.

(204820)

468
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many accidents there were involving police vehicles in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in the last year for which figures are available.

(204824)

469
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the measures taken by Cleveland Police Authority to install recording equipment in police vehicles to monitor how they are driven; and what plans he has to encourage other police authorities to install such recording equipment.

(204825)

470
N Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 28th October from the honourable Member for North Norfolk, regarding the costs of surveys into public perceptions of the Home Office undertaken by and on behalf of the Home Office over the past year.

(204426)

471
N Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has under his scheme to introduce identity cards and a national database to record and check the identities of third country nationals who enter the United Kingdom via the border with Northern Ireland.

(204524)

472
N Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on how Irish citizens who are (a) resident in and (b) visiting the United Kingdom would be affected by his proposed national identity card and database.

(204525)

473
N Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart about the proposals for a national identity card and database; and if he will make a statement.

(204526)

474
N Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for the British/Irish Common Travel Area of his proposed scheme for identity cards and a national database.

(204527)

475
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will reassess the need for short custodial sentences, including custody plus, where there is no evidence of a deterrent effect or rehabilitative value.

(204476)

476
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to review the intermediate estate in the Prison Service.

(204477)

477
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward plans to ensure that the courts impose a fine or community sentence as the first option for most non-violent offences.

(204478)

478
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward plans to ensure the courts, when imposing a non-custodial sentence for non-violent offences, record specific reasons for that sentence and make them public.

(204479)

479
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward plans to ensure that when the courts impose a short custodial sentence they state publicly why a community sentence was not identified as feasible in that case.

(204480)

480
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans have been developed for qualifications, training and career development for the National Offender Management Service.

(204970)

481
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what local infrastructure will exist for the proposed public sector interventions arm of the reformed Probation Service in England and Wales under the National Offender Management Service proposals.

(204971)

482
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how duplication in terms of the provision of services and policies will be avoided following the creation of two arrangements for the employment of staff for the Probation Service under the National Offender Management Service arrangements.

(204972)

483
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department will be producing a business case which will explain how contestability will improve service delivery in relation to reducing offending and reducing the numbers in custody.

(204973)

484
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how a contestability model for the Probation and Prison Services in England and Wales will avoid increasing bureaucracy.

(204974)

485
N Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the results were of the investigations into how the Written Parliamentary Questions tabled on 11th October by the honourable Member for Thurrock relating to the murder of Richard Watson were lost; and if he will make a statement.

(204164)

486
Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the Police Best Value Performance indicators for (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04.

(204206)

487
Mr Humfrey Malins (Woking):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects the construction of the accommodation centre for asylum seekers near Bicester to be completed; when he expects it to be ready to accept asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement.

(204786)

488
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204355)

489
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204371)

490
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many CCTV cameras there are at UK ports of entry; and for how long data on CCTV cameras at UK ports of entry is kept.

(204446)

491
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British passports have been reported lost or stolen (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year since 1997.

(204447)

492
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time for a British passport application to be processed has been in each year since 1997.

(204449)

493
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of British people without (a) a passport and (b) a driving licence in each year since 1997.

(204450)

494
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British passports have been issued in each year since 1997.

(204451)

495
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many forged passports have been impounded in each year since 1997.

(204452)

496
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time taken for civil service staff to pass security vetting procedures was in the last period for which figures are available.

(204453)

497
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Preparing for Emergencies leaflets were (a) printed and (b) distributed.

(204454)

498
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204518)

499
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil service staff have failed security vetting procedures in each year since 1997.

(204531)

500
Mr Richard Page (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Miss Mapolisa will receive the necessary paperwork showing the changed conditions that will allow her to enter employment referred to in his Department's letter of the 29th October, reference M1093836.

(204976)

501
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the percentage change in the numbers of full-time police officers in (a) Lancashire Constabulary and (b) Burnley has been since 1997.

(204341)

502
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many special constables there were in the Pennine Division of Lancashire Constabulary in each year since 1995.

(204987)

503
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convicted burglars have successfully sued householders whose houses they have attempted to burgle following incidents occuring during the break in, in (a) the last year, (b) the last three years, (c) the last five years and (d) the last 10 years.

(204529)

504
N Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions in the last year for which figures are available an individual in the (a) Prison Service, (b) Probation Service and (c) Metropolitan Police has been suspended for dishonestly claiming an allowance; and how many were reinstated after repaying the money.

(204424)

505
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding Lincolnshire Police will receive in 2004-05 under the Rural Sparsity Grant.

(204790)

506
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes committed in Lincolnshire have been drug-related in each year since 1997.

(204791)

507
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the police stations in Lincolnshire in each year from 1997 to 2004.

(204792)

508
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian staff the Lincolnshire police force has had in each year since 1997.

(204793)

509
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers and (b) police civilian staff each police authority in England and Wales has had in each year since 1995.

(204794)

510
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many community support officers there are in the Lincolnshire constabulary.

(204795)

511
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences have been recorded by Lincolnshire Police Force in each year since 1995, broken down by category.

(204796)

512
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many community support officers there are in each police authority in England and Wales.

(204797)

513
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been made available to each police authority in England and Wales since 2000-01 under the Rural Sparsity Grant.

(204798)

514
Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the funding per head of population for each police authority in England and Wales is in 2004-05.

(204799)

515
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the net current expenditure on asylum seekers by each local authority in (a) Scotland and (b) Wales has been in each year since 1996-97.

(204530)

516
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convictions which have resulted in custodial sentences there have been for (a) drink-driving and (b) other motoring offences, broken down by (i) type and (ii) gender in each year since 1997; and what each figure represents as a percentage of the total.

(204719)

517
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents were (a) uninsured and (b) driving a car that did not have a valid MOT in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) police authority region.

(204720)

518
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of uninsured drivers in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (i) gender and (ii) police authority region.

(204721)

519
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204290)

520
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204310)

521
Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the (a) names and (b) occupations of the members of the Advisory Board on Nationalisation and Integration; and what the remit is of the Advisory Board on Nationalisation and Integration.

(204470)

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

522
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what percentage of electrical equipment was removed for replacement from offices on the parliamentary estate in each of the last three years; and of this, what percentage is diverted for (a) landfill, (b) incineration and (c) reuse of parts.

(204912)

523
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what targets have been set on recycling of electrical equipment removed from offices on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

(204913)

524
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what targets have been set for sourcing energy from renewable sources on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

(204914)

525
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what targets have been set on reducing energy use on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

(204915)

526
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what measures have been taken to ensure that honourable Members and staff do not leave computers and other electrical office equipment on the parliamentary estate on or on stand-by mode overnight and during weekends and other non-working days.

(204916)

527
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what targets have been set on reducing water usage on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

(204917)

528
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what measures are being taken to encourage the conservation of water resources on the parliamentary estate.

(204918)

529
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will introduce measures to improve the conservation of water resources on the parliamentary estate by upgrading washing and toilet facilities so that water is only used when necessary, and facilities do not continue to consume water automatically during weekends and other non-working days.

(204919)

530
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what measures are being taken to ensure that photocopying facilities on the parliamentary estate are not used by members or staff for either personal or party campaigning use.

(204920)

531
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many computers there are on the parliamentary estate; and what the estimated average daily energy usage of a computer on the parliamentary estate is.

(204921)

532
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what measures are being taken to encourage energy conservation amongst members and staff on the parliamentary estate.

(204922)

533
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will introduce separate bins in offices and communal areas across the parliamentary estate for the disposal of (a) plastic waste and (b) compostable waste.

(204923)

534
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reasons the decision was taken that the public would no longer be provided with visitors' badges; and who was responsible for the decision.

(204282)

535
Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost was of the provision of (a) desks and (b) telephones for the parliamentary press lobby in the last year for which figures are available.

(204773)

536
Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much is paid by House of Commons press pass holders, or their employers, for the cost of accommodation on the parliamentary estate.

(204774)

537
Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many House of Commons press pass holders have access to desks on the parliamentary estate.

(204775)

538
Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the honourable Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many honourable Members have broadband access in their constituency offices; and how many are waiting to be connected to broadband in their constituency offices.

(204978)

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development

539
Tom Cox (Tooting):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many Iraqi civilians have (a) full electricity and water services, (b) part electricity and water services and (c) no such services at all; and if he will make a statement.

(204744)

540
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much financial assistance will be allocated for his Department's strategy for meeting the needs of HIV/Aids orphans and vulnerable children; and how much of this will be allocated to (a) civil society organisations in developing countries, (b) international relief organisations and (c) budget support for developing country governments.

(204816)

541
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when his Department will publish a strategy for meeting the needs of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

(204817)

542
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans he has to support community-based organisations providing support for HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries.

(204818)

543
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will discuss with other (a) G8 and (b) EU member states making orphans and vulnerable children a priority during 2005.

(205019)

544
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions his Department has had with other (a) agencies and (b) governments on endorsing and adopting the UNAIDS/UNICEF strategic framework on orphans and vulnerable children during the global forum.

(205020)

545
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204347)

546
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204364)

547
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many day's sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204507)

548
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will list the projects (a) funded and (b) managed by his Department in (i) the Middle East, (ii) Central Asia and (iii) the South Caucasus since 2002; and how many staff from (A) the country concerned and (B) outside the country concerned are employed by each.

(204631)

549
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the distribution of food aid in Infanta, Philippines on 8th December; what guidelines his Department (a) has established and (b) is establishing for the effective, efficient and safe distribution of food aid; whether these guidelines are regularly distributed to UK non-governmental organisations active abroad; and if he will make a statement.

(204632)

550
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much (a) food and (b) monetary aid his Department (i) has pledged, (ii) has delivered and (iii) is going to deliver to the Philippines to deal with the effects of super typhoon Nanmadoe; and if he will make a statement.

(204633)

551
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the recent statements by Mohammed Imad al-Daker, consultant on HIV/AIDS at UNICEF, concerning the role of the media in the Arab world with regard to sexual health education; and if he will make a statement.

(204634)

552
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what his Department's policy is on sexual education in developing countries; if he will list the 10 countries where his Department has experienced the most difficulty in implementing this policy; and if he will make a statement.

(204635)

553
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of food aid reaching the target population in Darfur in each month since April; and if he will make a statement.

(204636)

554
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of reports of attacks on food aid convoys in Darfur; how many such attacks have been (a) reported and (b) confirmed in each month since April; what assessment his Department has made of the parties responsible for the attacks; and if he will make a statement.

(204637)

555
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has been made of the security requirements of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and aid agencies operating in Darfur; how these requirements are being met; what proposals his Department has (a) drawn up and (b) discussed with (i) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (ii) the Ministry of Defence to improve the security coverage extended to NGOs and aid agencies operating in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

(204638)

556
Angus Robertson (Moray):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has been made of the impact on the humanitarian situation in Darfur of the African Union's mission to Darfur.

(204639)

557
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contribution in terms of (a) speakers and (b) resources his Department made to the International Conference reviewing the 1997 Ottawa Convention on Landmines held in December in Nairobi; and if he will place in the Library the final declaration of the Review Conference.

(204326)

558
Dr Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what effect instability in Afghanistan is having on his Department's reconstruction effort in the country.

(204723)

559
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204292)

560
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204312)

Questions to the Leader of the House

561
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Leader of the House, whether his Office's special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204294)

562
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Leader of the House, whether his office's special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204314)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

563
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what (a) criteria and (b) procedures are used by the Rural Development Council to assess an application for grant.

(204333)

564
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what grants have been received from the Rural Development Council in each Northern Ireland constituency since it's formation; and for what projects.

(204334)

565
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many applications for grants were received by the Rural Development Council in each of the last three years.

(204335)

566
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average length of time taken by the Rural Development Council to respond to a grant application was in the last 12 months.

(204336)

567
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what projects have been supported by the Rural Development Council aimed at (a) supporting farmers or farm families and (b) promoting alternative skills training in East Antrim in (i) Newtownabbey, (ii) Carrickfergus and (iii) Larne borough council areas in each of the last three years; and how much grant was awarded in each case.

(204337)

568
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many adults are registered blind or partially-sighted in each constituency in Northern Ireland.

(204759)

569
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding in each education and library board area was used to provide appropriate literature and equipment for blind and partially-sighted persons in each of the last three years for which records are available.

(204760)

570
Mr Roy Beggs (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many children and young persons under the age of 18 years are registered blind or partially-sighted in each constituency in Northern Ireland.

(204888)

571
N David Burnside (South Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many members of the (a) Provisional IRA, (b) INLA, (c) UDA and (d) UVF (i) have been convicted of criminal offences and (ii) have had their assets seized following investigations by the Assets Recovery Agency since its formation.

(204057)

572
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his policy is on the use of physical punishment of children by their parents in Northern Ireland.

(205005)

573
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety has allocated to (a) general practitioner pay awards, (b) changes to consultant contracts and (c) agenda for change for (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

(205025)

574
Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what criteria the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety uses to set priorities in relation to (a) children in need, (b) family policy and (c) child protection for the Budget round for 2005-08; and what discussions it has had with key stakeholders in (i) boards, (ii) trusts and (iii) the voluntary sector.

(205026)

575
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many new social housing units have been built in the Lagan Valley constituency in each year since 1997.

(204015)

576
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what expenditure there has been on (a) new roads schemes and improvements and (b) repairs to the roads network in the Lagan Valley constituency in each year since 1997.

(204016)

577
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what new school buildings in the Lagan Valley constituency (a) have opened in each year since 1997 (b) are under construction and (c) have been approved for funding but are not yet under construction.

(204017)

578
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what capital expenditure has been at the Lagan Valley hospital in each year since 1997.

(204018)

579
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many businesses are located at the Knockmore Hill Industrial Estate in Lisburn; and how many new jobs have been created on the site since it was opened.

(204019)

580
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total expenditure on roads in Northern Ireland has been in each of the last three years.

(204623)

581
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what representations he has received from former paramilitary prisoners regarding perceived discrimination against their children in the employment market; and what steps are being taken to counter such discrimination.

(204625)

582
Mr Kevin McNamara (Kingston upon Hull North):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will estimate the number of deaths brought forward in 2003-04 (a) due to the overall pollution in Belfast and (b) as a direct result of pollution from Belfast City Airport, using the same methodology as the 1998 Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants report on The Quantification of the Effects of Air Pollution on Health in the United Kingdom.

(204209)

583
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204351)

584
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204367)

585
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204512)

586
The Reverend Ian Paisley (North Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in implementing Recommendation 18 of the Review of the Northern Ireland Police Fund on compiling a database of police widows, disabled police officers and their families.

(204938)

587
The Reverend Ian Paisley (North Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what financial resources will be available to the Police Fund over the next three years.

(204939)

588
The Reverend Ian Paisley (North Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to conduct a study to forecast the future requirements, services and care needs of police widows, disabled police officers and their families; what resources will be available to this study; and who will conduct it.

(204940)

589
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204293)

590
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204313)

Questions to the Prime Minister

591
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Prime Minister, how many officials working in ministerial private offices in his Office have worked more than a 48-hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

(204171)

592
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Prime Minister, whether Mr Andrew Adonis of his Policy Unit has visited the City of Newcastle upon Tyne to promote city academies in the last 12 months.

(204438)

593
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a list of those documents held by his Office that (a) may be disclosed under Freedom of Information Act 2000 provisions and (b) have been destroyed within the preceding four months, that pertain to (i) the European Constitution and (ii) the criteria for acceding to the euro.

(204464)

594
Alice Mahon (Halifax):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will set up an independent inquiry to determine how many Iraqis have been killed or injured since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

(204264)

595
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list his planned programme of activities to address AIDS in Africa under UK presidency of the G8 states.

(204324)

596
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Prime Minister, whether he raised the prospect of Pakistan signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty during his discussions with President Musharraf of Pakistan on 6th December.

(204325)

597
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Prime Minister, what (a) discussions he has had with and (b) representations he has received from Commonwealth governments regarding the proposed Draft UN Declaration for Indigenous People's Rights.

(204809)

598
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Prime Minister, whether his special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204283)

599
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Prime Minister, whether his special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204302)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland

600
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204353)

601
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204369)

602
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204515)

603
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204298)

604
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204318)

Questions to the Solicitor General

605
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Solicitor General, how many pages the Attorney General's legal advice to Her Majesty's Government on the legality of initiating hostilities against Iraq produced in March 2003 comprised.

(204328)

Questions to the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

606
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission are taking to prevent the malicious or confusing registration of party names by new political parties.

(204749)

607
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will place in the Library the guidelines it follows when considering the registration of political parties' names.

(204750)

608
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the total expenditure of the Electoral Commission has been in each year since its creation; and what the estimated budget is for the forthcoming year.

(204751)

609
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the status is of Electoral Commission Circular EC34/2004; and whether it is binding on local authorities.

(204752)

610
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether political parties were consulted before the publication of Circular EC34/2004 by the Electoral Commission.

(204753)

611
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what advice the Government has given the Electoral Commission on (a) the registration of political parties' names and (b) preventing malicious or confusing registration of party names by new political parties.

(204754)

612
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what advice the Government has given the Electoral Commission on the provision of absent voting lists to political parties outside an election period.

(204755)

613
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Government has made of the impact on general election turnout of Electoral Commission Circular EC34/2004; and if he will make a statement.

(204756)

614
Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what (a) polling, (b) focus group research and (c) other measures of public opinion were undertaken by the Electoral Commission since June 2003 in relation to (i) the regional referendum in the North East and (ii) preparation for the referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

(204588)

615
Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the total cost was of the activities performed 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.

(204589)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

616
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much has been spent by her Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

(204711)

617
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48-hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

(204170)

618
Chris Bryant (Rhondda):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many VAT registered enterprises there are in the constituency of the Rhondda.

(204608)

619
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people have benefitted from the introduction of the National Minimum Wage in each year since its introduction in (a) Stroud, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) South West England.

(204910)

620
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which ten solicitors in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland have received most money from her Department in respect of coal industry compensation claims.

(204603)

621
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she is taking to ensure that widows due coal health compensation payments receive such payments before they die; and how many claims for such payments to widows are outstanding.

(204604)

622
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will ensure that coal health compensation payments due to widows but not paid before they die are made to the widow's next of kin.

(204605)

623
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what progress has been made in respect of the recommendations of the Royal Commission for Environmental Pollution on Biomass as a Renewable Energy Source.

(204622)

624
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many firework-related (a) fatalities and (b) injuries occurred in (i) Wales and (ii) the South Wales Police Force Area in (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004.

(204262)

625
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when she will reply to the letter to her from the Right honourable Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to the Managing Director of Warm Front.

(204726)

626
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the role of nuclear energy in the UK meeting its Kyoto targets.

(204826)

627
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the last nuclear power station was built in the UK.

(204827)

628
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what targets will be set for the National Decommissioning Authority; and what its budget will be for the first year of operation.

(204828)

629
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she has taken to recover costs from solicitors under the Coalminers' Compensation Scheme where conditional fee agreements have been invalidated.

(203838)

630
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many cases have been submitted by Donne Mileham and Haddock solicitors under the Coalminers' Compensation Scheme.

(203839)

631
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what (a) operating and (b) investment aid has been made to collieries since 1997, broken down by colliery.

(204387)

632
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what contractual arrangements the Department has entered into with Vendside Ltd; and on what date in each case.

(204388)

633
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, with whom her Department has discussed the consequences of the coalminers' compensation scheme being an issued case.

(204734)

634
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much has been spent on entertainment by her Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204344)

635
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many gyms are available to staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204376)

636
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204510)

637
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will introduce legislation against age discrimination; and if she will make a statement.

(204425)

638
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received on her proposals to extend the retirement age for those working in the public service.

(203850)

639
Adam Price (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions she has had with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate on safety concerns in relation to British Energy's advanced gas coded nuclear reactors.

(204783)

640
Adam Price (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what discussions she has had with British Energy concerning the future of the Hinckley Point B, Hunterston B, Heysham 2 and Torness nuclear plant.

(204784)

641
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what percentage of the UK's (a) oil and (b) gas supplies reached the UK via transit routes that pass through Ukraine in the last period for which figures are available.

(204379)

642
N Mr Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the impact on the (a) UK (i) domestic consumption and (ii) economy and the (b) EU (A) domestic consumption and (B) economy of supplies of oil and gas which pass through Ukraine being stopped or interrupted.

(204382)

643
N Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the reasons why the Microsystems National Technology Committee rejected the application of EMfab Limited for grant funding to help its national roll out of its microsystems project; and if she will publish the evidence on which that decision was based.

(204199)

644
N Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will publish the minutes of the Microsystems National Technology Committee at which the decision not to support the EMfab application for grant funding to assist in the national roll-out of its microsystems project was taken.

(204200)

645
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204296)

646
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204316)

647
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent research her Department has undertaken to ascertain the effect on households in fuel poverty of increases in fuel prices.

(203977)

648
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent changes in the cost of fuel oil on the number of households in fuel poverty.

(203978)

649
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate she has made of the number of households which rely on oil based heating systems; and what assessment she has made of the effect on such households of recent changes in the cost of fuel oil.

(203981)

650
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many households are deemed to be in fuel poverty, broken down by local authority area.

(204630)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

651
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent by his Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

(204712)

652
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's publicity budget for road safety is in the current year; and what his Department's expenditure on road safety publicity was in each of the last seven years.

(203989)

653
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the powers under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 to carry out roadside drug tests will be utilised; and if he will make a statement.

(203990)

654
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people killed in motor accidents in each of the last 10 years had illegal drugs present in their body at the time of the accident; and how many of these were (a) vehicle drivers, (b) vehicle passengers, (c) motor cyclists, (d) cyclists and (e) pedestrians.

(203991)

655
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the trunk roads with concrete surfaces which have been opened since June 1988; what the results were of noise surveys in respect of each; and whether the actual noise levels recorded were significantly higher than those predicted at the time of the public inquiry.

(203993)

656
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, at whose request, and at what cost, the traffic signals at the Stamfordham Road/A1 Western-by-Pass were installed; on how many occasions the lights have been in use; and whether it is planned that the lights should be used again.

(204404)

657
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, through how many points of entry by (a) sea and (b) air commercial freight can enter the UK; and which agency is responsible for (i) the control of hazardous or toxic materials and (ii) the supervision of workers on ships and aircraft using documents of identity other than passports and visas.

(204414)

658
Mr Quentin Davies (Grantham & Stamford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many suicides took place on the railway network in the United Kingdom in the last 12-month period for which figures are available; and what the equivalent figure was 10 years ago.

(204725)

659
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of road accidents involving (a) fatalities, (b) serious injuries, (c) minor injuries and (d) damages and in which a contributory factor was (i) alcohol, (ii) illegal drugs and (iii) legal pharmaceuticals in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(204959)

660
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department takes to advise people using (a) prescription and (b) over-the-counter pharmaceuticals of their possible effects on driving; and if he will make a statement.

(204961)

661
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Paddington Survivors' Group on the subject of signals passed at danger.

(204897)

662
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Department intends to meet the recommendations contained in the Paddington Declaration resulting from the public enquiries that took place following the crash.

(204898)

663
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which different train protection systems are in use; and what timescales are involved in moving to a fully comprehensive system.

(204899)

664
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many registered motor vehicles there were on British roads in each decade since 1974; and what estimates he has made for the next three decades.

(204900)

665
Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the last day of the A303 Stonehenge Inquiry was.

(204595)

666
Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Inspector's target date was for submission of the A303 Stonehenge Inquiry report to the Secretary of State.

(204596)

667
Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Inspector submitted his report on the A303 Stonehenge Inquiry.

(204597)

668
Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will make a decision on the Inspector's report on the A303 Stonehenge Inquiry.

(204598)

669
Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the latest advice was that was given by the Highways Agency to the contractors involved in the scheme that was the subject of the A303 Stonehenge Inquiry.

(204599)

670
Mr Adrian Flook (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether compensation will be paid to contractors for the delayed start to the scheme being determined by the A303 Stonehenge Inquiry.

(204600)

671
Mr Bernard Jenkin (North Essex):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what new transport powers he approved for elected regional assemblies in addition to the powers set out in the Draft Regional Assemblies Bill, between the publication of the Draft Bill and the close of poll in the North East referendum.

(204592)

672
Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effects of the potential closure of North East rail services between (a) Saltburn and Bishop Auckland and (b) Middlesbrough and Whitby.

(204829)

673
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons he has postponed the improvements scheduled to the A1 Dishforth to Barton section; and if he will make a statement.

(204977)

674
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204354)

675
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204370)

676
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204516)

677
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what percentage of trips to school by five to eight year olds were by bus in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of these were (a) under two miles and (b) two miles and over, broken down by region.

(204716)

678
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what percentage of trips to school by nine to 16 year olds were by bus in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of these were (a) under three miles and (b) three miles and over, broken down by region.

(204717)

679
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many crimes against a person have been committed at (a) rail stations that meet secure station status and (b) all other stations in each year since 1997, broken down by gender of the victims and incident type.

(204718)

680
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204297)

681
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204317)

682
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made with the introduction of the comprehensive integrated national public transport information system, referred to on 20th July, Official Report, column 784.

(204628)

683
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what route he has approved for the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth.

(204933)

684
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding has been promised in each of the next 10 years for building the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth.

(204934)

685
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions the Department had with Dorset County Council about re-routing the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth.

(204935)

686
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what factors led the Department to withdraw their support for building the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth on the Brown Route.

(204936)

687
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list each conditional approval for the building of the Dorchester Road Relief Road in Weymouth, identifying the route proposed, the date of approval and for the earlier schemes the date of and reasons for not proceeding.

(204937)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales

688
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much has been spent by his Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

(204714)

689
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will list public bodies sponsored by the National Assembly for Wales that may be abolished by (a) decision of the Assembly, (b) primary legislation in the United Kingdom Parliament and (c) revocation of the Royal Charter.

(204228)

690
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204295)

691
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204315)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

692
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Leeds and (b) Leeds West have found work through the New Deal for Disabled People in each year since its commencement.

(204275)

693
Mr John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which groups are contracted to provide the New Deal for disabled people in Leeds; what the performance of each in enabling people to find work since the start of the programme has been; what targets they have to meet; and if he will make a statement.

(204278)

694
Mr John Bercow (Buckingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent by his Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

(204715)

695
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what action he is taking to extend awareness of employment opportunities in the UK to EU nationals who are (a) resident in the UK and (b) resident elsewhere.

(204486)

696
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the role of his Department in working with other agencies to stimulate work-based learning.

(204494)

697
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what action he plans to take in response to the recent ECOTEC Report to his Department on Mentoring and Post-Employment Support of persons on New Deal.

(204651)

698
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on progress with the working neighbourhoods pilot scheme.

(204652)

699
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on recent action by Jobcentre Plus to enhance incentives to return to work after receipt of benefits.

(204654)

700
Chris Bryant (Rhondda):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the constituency of the Rhondda claim income support.

(204607)

701
N Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the operation of the Child Support Agency.

(203847)

702
N Mr Colin Challen (Morley & Rothwell):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many organisations in Leeds applied to join the Pension Service Partnership Fund; and how much has been awarded to them.

(203851)

703
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have started each of the New Deal for employment programmes in each (a) metropolitan authority and (b) county area in the North East region; how many of them have entered employment; how many have entered the New Deal schemes (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times and (iv) three or more times; and how many entering the scheme entered employment in each case.

(204428)

704
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) individuals and (b) households were receiving (i) pension credit and (ii) the savings component of pension credit in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency as at 30th September; and what the average award was in each case.

(204614)

705
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the projected expenditure on pension credit is for the present and succeeding three years on the presently announced uprating scheme, broken down by guarantee and savings components of pension credit.

(204616)

706
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women receiving (i) incapacity benefit and (ii) severe disablement allowance there were in each ward of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne.

(204617)

707
N Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in Hendon were receiving the (a) guarantee and (b) savings element pension credit on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(204163)

708
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many accidents at work the influence of (a) alcohol, (b) illegal drugs and (c) legal pharmaceuticals were a contributory causal factor in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(204988)

709
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long it took on average to process a disability living allowance application, broken down by level, in the last period for which figures are available.

(204429)

710
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average people waited for (a) an appeal and (b) an appeal result for disability living allowance in the last period for which figures are available.

(204430)

711
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of people were refused disability living allowance at each level on initial application in the last period for which figures are available.

(204431)

712
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on raising the cut-off age for disability living allowance.

(204432)

713
N Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women claiming pension credit had inadequate contributions to their National Insurance basic state pensions in the last period for which figures are available.

(203982)

714
N Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) male and (b) female pensioners drawing the basic state pension draw the (i) full and (ii) partial amount; and what the main reasons are for (A) male and (B) female pensioners drawing less than the full amount.

(203983)

715
N Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for how many women claiming pension credit who had inadequate contributions to the National Insurance basic state pensions the shortfall was (a) £70-£79, (b) £60-£69, (c) £50-£59, (d) £40-£49, (e) £30-£39, (f) £20-£29, (g) £10-£19 and (h) 0-£9.

(203984)

716
Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Post Office card accounts in receipt of the state pension have had a red flag placed on their accounts preventing access in each of the last 12 months.

(204748)

717
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people in (a) Midlothian and (b) Scotland (i) have participated in apprenticeship schemes and (ii) undertook apprenticeships between 1990 and 1997.

(204601)

718
David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) Midlothian received incapacity benefit in the period (i) 1990 to 1997 and (ii) 1997 to 2004.

(204602)

719
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he wil make a statement on the effect of the proposed Disability Discrimination Bill on political parties; and if he will place in the Library the assessment of the regulatory impact on political parties.

(204758)

720
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with autistic spectrum disorders are using Government specialist employment programmes.

(204482)

721
N Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the pension rights of women.

(203848)

722
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on local housing allowance in each of the nine Pathfinder areas in (a) additional or increased housing benefit payments, (b) additional administrative costs and (c) additional funding for debt service and support services; and what percentage increase this represents on the previous year's expenditure in each area.

(204466)

723
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for housing benefit extended payments were made in each year since 1997-98; and how many of those applications were successful.

(204467)

724
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has further to promote the housing benefit extended payment scheme.

(204468)

725
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green & Bow):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many housing benefit claims in 2003-04 were subject to each rate of non-dependent deduction; at each rate, how many claimants were living in (a) council housing, (b) registered social landlord housing and (c) the private rented sector; and what each figure represents as a percentage of total housing benefit claims.

(204469)

726
Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of incapacity benefit there were in each ward in Wrexham in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004.

(204969)

727
Mr John Lyons (Strathkelvin & Bearsden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases concerning constituents in Strathkelvin and Bearsden were being investigated on the latest date for which figures are available.

(204202)

728
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

(204346)

729
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many gyms are available to the staff in the Department; and what the cost of providing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

(204363)

730
Mr George Osborne (Tatton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days sick leave were taken by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997; and what the sickness absence rate was in each year.

(204506)

731
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire are in receipt of pension credit.

(204503)

732
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received winter fuel payments in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire in 2004.

(204504)

733
N Mr David Stewart (Inverness East, Nairn & Lochaber):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the rules which prevent payment of carer's allowance and retirement pension at the same time.

(204523)

734
John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of eligible people who have not received backdated winter fuel payments for the first three years of the scheme, broken down by region.

(204746)

735
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether departmental special advisers have written to external (a) bodies and (b) individuals in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204300)

736
Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary select committees in their official capacity since May 1997.

(204320)

737
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate how many single (a) women and (b) men in 2004 will reach the age of 60 years after the qualifying week for winter fuel payment eligibility but before 25th December.

(204052)

738
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people disqualified from receiving a 2004-05 winter fuel payment on the grounds that during the qualifying week they were in hospital receiving free in-patient treatment and had been receiving such treatment for more than 52 weeks; and how many of those disqualified on those grounds have been discharged from hospital since the qualifying week.

(204053)

739
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people eligible for a 2004-05 winter fuel payment who needed to make a claim; and how many of that number have so far claimed.

(204055)

740
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has undertaken of the likely impact of identity cards on benefit fraud; and if he will place copies of the written assessments that he has undertaken in the Library.

(204056)

741
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the written Answer of 1st December, Official Report, column 177W, on IT systems, what the estimated cost is of the Customer Information System; and who the supplier is.

(204580)

742
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what means a pensioner who receives his basic state pension payments into a bank account can begin having payments made into a different nominated account; what the target time is by which his Department aims to switch such payments to his new account; how many pensioners have requested this action in each of the last 12 months; and what (a) number and (b) percentage of these have successfully had their payments switched within (i) one week, (ii) one month, (iii) two months and (iv) three months or more of the initial request.

(204581)

743
N Steve Webb (Northavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost in each of the 10 financial years from 2006-07, net of savings in means-tested benefits and additional income tax revenues, of paying from April 2006 (a) a basic state pension to all single people aged 75 or above at the rate of the guarantee credit for single people regardless of contribution record and (b) a basic state pension to all couples where one or both partners is aged 75 or above at the rate of the guarantee credit for couples, with that pension being indexed to earnings in subsequent years, and assuming that the savings credit is abolished for those aged 75 or above.

(204587)

744
N David Winnick (Walsall North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will reply to the letter from the honourable Member for Walsall North of 26th October, ref POS(7)10644/0040, which was passed to the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus; and what the reasons are for the delay in a reply being sent.

(204385)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

745
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the fishing industry of the proposed rise of 1p per litre in the rate of fuel duty for red diesel.

[Transferred] (203979)

746
N Mr Michael Weir (Angus):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the agricultural industry of the proposed rise of 1p per litre in the rate of fuel duty on red diesel.

[Transferred] (203980)

Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs

747
Mr Peter Pike (Burnley):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment he has made of the benefits of devolution to the people of (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

[Transferred] (204979)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

748
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make a statement on progress in developing the Housing and Employment Services Mobility project.

[Transferred] (204653)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

749
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the expected future income stream to the Treasury from university tuition and top-up fees is in each of the next 15 years; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred] (204781)

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

750
Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set out the areas of (a) scientific uncertainty associated with manmade climate change and (b) renewable and energy-efficient technologies, that she intends to present at the G8 as needing further international collective work.

[Transferred] (204911)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

751
Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many contracts for the supply of security and surveillance services and equipment from the private sector have been placed by the UK Government and its agencies in Iraq, broken down by base country of the contracting company; and what the total value of such contracts is.

[Transferred] (204613)

752
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the UK Government's policy is on the Draft UN Declaration for Indigenous People's Rights.

[Transferred] (204807)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

753
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what regulations determine minimum fishing distance between fishing vessels and North Sea rigs.

[Transferred] (204217)

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Revised 13 December 2004