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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Tuesday 15 March 2005
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Tuesday 15 March 2005
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 15 March of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department. For other Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 15 March of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Tuesday 15 March see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office 1
N | Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were (a) suspended and (b) dismissed from employment in the Office in each year since 2001 for gross professional misconduct. | | (221723) | 2
N | Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were (a) suspended and (b) dismissed from employment in the Office in each year since 2001 under suspicion of having breached the Official Secrets Act 1989. | | (221724) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 3
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on pension funds of the abolition of the dividend tax credit system. | | (221510) | 4
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to review the effect on pension funds of the abolition of the dividend tax credit system. | | (221511) | 5
N | Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister in relation to making hospices exempt from the payment of VAT. | | (221633) | 6
N | Mr Bill O'Brien (Normanton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ask Mr Rushton, Assistant Director of the Tax Credits Office to respond to the correspondence from the honourable Member for Normanton sent on behalf of Mr and Mrs C. of Kirkhamgate, Wakefield and their claim for tax credits outstanding from September 2004. | | (221882) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 7
N | Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many times the Lord Chancellor met (a) the Law Lords and (b) Lord Lloyd of Berwick as former Chairman of the Security Commission to discuss the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill. | | (221356) | 8
N | Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Lord Chancellor about changing his title. | | (221524) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 9
N | Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the Private Finance Initiative contracts which his Department advertised in 2004, indicating in each case whether the output specification included (a) clauses specifically relating to energy consumption and energy efficiency, (b) a requirement for relevant equipment being purchased to be on the Government's Energy Technology List, (c) a requirement to use whole life costing to assess the energy costs for new buildings or major refurbishments and (d) a requirement that new buildings or major refurbishments should be constructed to a specific energy standard; and what standard was specified in each case. | | (221883) | 10
N | Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has held with Edinburgh Military Tattoo Ltd. on the impact of the planned restructuring of the Scottish regiments on the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. | | (221826) | 11
N | Mr Andrew Robathan (Blaby):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer, 25th November 2004, Official Report, column 51W, on the Royal Navy, what decisions have been made about the future of naval tasks (a) Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, (b) Atlantic Patrol South, (c) Atlantic Patrol North, (d) Armilla Patrol, (e) Indian Ocean Patrol and (f) Fleet Ready Escort around the United Kingdom. | | (222132) | 12
N | Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the February 2005 estimates of his Department's efficiency delivery position mentioned in the Efficiency Technical Note. | | (221889) | 13
N | Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on armed forces recruitment in Scotland. | | (221064) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 14
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the cost of the infrastructure required to support the level of housing development for South Hampshire set out in the South East England Regional Assembly's document, The South East Plan. | | (221752) | 15
N | Mr John Randall (Uxbridge):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what research his Department has undertaken in relation to the fire safety risks of plug-in air fresheners. | | (221969) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 16
N | Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will list the Private Finance Initiative contracts which (a) her Department and (b) local education authorities advertised in 2004, indicating in each case whether the output specification included (a) clauses specifically relating to energy consumption and energy efficiency, (b) a requirement for relevant equipment being purchased to be on the Government's Energy Technology List, (c) a requirement to use whole life costing to assess energy costs for any new building or major refurbishments and (d) a requirement that new buildings or major refurbishments would be constructed to a specific energy standard; and what standard was specified in each case. | | (221884) | 17
N | Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what her policy is on access by honourable Members to the chief executives of public bodies for which her Department is responsible to discuss the effects in individual constituencies of policy decisions made on a national basis; and if she will make a statement. | | (222104) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 18
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the recent developments in waste product marketing by the Waste and Resources Action Programme. | | (221508) | 19
N | Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the development of recycled wood products by the Waste and Resources Action Programme. | | (221509) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 20
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to China regarding the fate of the people detained in Tiananmen Square at the opening of China's National People's Council. | | (221318) | 21
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of tension in the Taiwan Strait following the recent anti-secessionist legislation introduced by China; and if he will make a statement. | | (221354) | 22
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) European Union, (b) United States, (c) Russian, (d) Australian and (e) Japanese counterparts concerning the recent anti-secessionist legislation to be used by China against Taiwan; when these discussions took place; and what the outcome was. | | (221355) | 23
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) Russian and (b) Australian counterparts concerning the proposed lifting of the EU arms embargo on China with respect to the effects on (i) Chinese military capabilities, (ii) the political situation with regard to the Taiwan Strait and (iii) observance of human rights by the Chinese government. | | (221358) | 24
N | Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make a statement on (a) progress in establishing the whereabouts of Ante Gotovina and (b) the impact of that progress on Croatia's proposed accession to the European Union. | | (221888) | 25
N | Mr Alex Salmond (Banff & Buchan):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the cost of employing a commercial officer in each UK embassy in (a) the EU and (b) North America. | | (222028) | 26
N | Mr Alex Salmond (Banff & Buchan):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff are employed in the commercial sections of each UK embassy and consulate. | | (222029) | 27
N | Llew Smith (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral Answer of 1st March, Official Report, column 805, which parts of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (a) recognise the United Kingdom as a nuclear state and (b) legally allow the United Kingdom to hold nuclear weapons. | | (221887) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 28
N | Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the Private Finance Initiative contracts which (a) his Department and (b) NHS Estates advertised in 2004, indicating in each case whether the output specification included (a) clauses specifically relating to energy consumption and energy efficiency, (b) a requirement for relevant equipment being purchased to be on the Government's Energy Technology List, (c) a requirement to use whole life costing to assess energy costs for new buildings or major refurbishments and (d) a requirement that new buildings or major refurbishments would be constructed to a specific energy standard; and what standard was specified in each case. | | (221885) | 29
N | Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the likely total debt of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust at the end of this financial year; and if he will make a statement. | | (222003) | 30
N | Peter Bradley (Wrekin, The):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost per item prescribed was of prescriptions issued by (a) dispensing and (b) non-dispensing general practitioners in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (221967) | 31
N | Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd February, Official Report, columns 680-1W, on dentistry, how many dental practices were on the nhs.uk.database on the latest date for which figures are available, including those not registering new patients; how many were registering new patients; how many were not registering new patients but providing occasional NHS treatment to non-registered patients; and how many were not registering new patients or providing occasional NHS treatment to non-registered patients. | | (221758) | 32
N | Mr Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) trainee nurses are employed by each NHS Trust in the North East region and (b) student nurses on NHS contracts and receiving bursaries from the NHS are studying at each higher education institution in the North East region; what the value of NHS bursaries was in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 1997; and whether such bursaries (A) are taxable and (B) were taxable in 1997. | | (221970) | 33
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rates of readmission to hospitals have been in (a) England and (b) Lancashire in each year since 1997. | | (222098) | 34
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Ribble Valley and Fulwood constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. | | (222100) | 35
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the proposed restructuring of ambulance services by Lancashire Ambulance Trust. | | (222101) | 36
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dental practices in Lancashire are accepting (a) children, (b) pensioners and (c) adult NHS patients, broken down by primary care trust. | | (222102) | 37
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients living in the Ribble Valley have had operations or other medical treatments funded by the NHS in European countries in each of the last three years. | | (222103) | 38
N | Annabelle Ewing (Perth):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the report on research by the Childhood Cancer Research Group at Oxford University into possible links between powerlines and childhood leukaemia; and if he will make a statement on the report. | | (221886) | 39
N | Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will permit the Vanguard Project at Derriford Hospital to proceed with a single bidder with appropriate financial safeguards; and if he will make a statement. | | (221825) | 40
N | Mr John Wilkinson (Ruislip - Northwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, from whom his Department is purchasing land for the construction of (a) homes for (i) key workers and (ii) relatives of inpatients and (b) hospital facilities at the Paddington Basin Health Campus; and what acreage of land his Department is to acquire in each instance. | | (222005) | 41
N | Mr John Wilkinson (Ruislip - Northwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the cost to his Department of providing housing for relatives of patients receiving hospital treatment on the Paddington Basin Health Campus. | | (222006) | 42
N | Mr John Wilkinson (Ruislip - Northwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the cost to his Department up to 2014 of providing key worker housing for those employed at the Paddington Basin Health Campus. | | (222007) | 43
N | Mr John Wilkinson (Ruislip - Northwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the future of the burns and plastic surgery unit at Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood. | | (222008) | 44
N | Mr John Wilkinson (Ruislip - Northwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his estimate is of the cost to his Department of the acquisition of land at Paddington Basin for housing of (a) key workers and (b) relatives of inpatients at the hospital facilities on the Paddington Basin Health Campus. | | (222009) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 45
N | Mr Parmjit Singh Gill (Leicester South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will revise the statutory code of practice to ensure that all public bodies recognise and monitor Sikhs for the purposes of the Race Relations Act 2000. | | (221660) | 46
N | Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time between the reporting of a crime and securing a conviction was in (a) 1998, (b) 2001 and (c) 2004. | | (221532) | Questions to the Leader of the House 47
N | Mr Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):To ask the Leader of the House, how many times he has met (a) the Law Lords and (b) Lord Lloyd of Berwick, as former Chairman of the Security Commission, to discuss the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill. | | (221357) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 48
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many vehicles were imported into the UK in each year since 1997. | | (221452) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 49
N | Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is allowed to pass on details it holds on individuals to operators of privately-owned and operated car parks. | | (221968) | 50
N | Mrs Angela Browning (Tiverton & Honiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the criteria by which trunk roads are designated as routes of strategic national importance. | | (222004) | 51
N | Mrs Angela Browning (Tiverton & Honiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25th February, Official Report, column 839W, on trunk roads (Bristol), which of the major trunk roads listed are core trunk roads of strategic national importance. | | (222051) | 52
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of how many women work in the UK transport sector. | | (221288) | 53
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what educational material is provided by his Department to local education authorities to teach children about road safety. | | (221453) | 54
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers on the London Underground have been assaulted in the last 12 months. | | (221454) | 55
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing the transport infrastructure to support the proposed level of housing development for South Hampshire set out in the South East England Regional Assembly's document, The South East Plan. | | (221751) | 56
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what grants were made to (a) Hampshire County Council, (b) Portsmouth City Council and (c) Southampton City Council for (i) new transport schemes and (ii) road maintenance in each of the last five years. | | (221753) | 57
N | Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Highways Agency expenditure was in Hampshire in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on (a) new road schemes and (b) road maintenance. | | (221754) | 58
N | Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list in descending order the 10 local authority areas in England which have the greatest number of fixed speed cameras. | | (221719) | 59
N | Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains in England and Wales were cancelled on each day between Sunday 20th February and Tuesday 1st March, broken down by reason for cancellation. | | (221720) | 60
N | Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what action he is taking to prevent disruption to train services by adverse weather. | | (221721) | 61
N | Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) snow ploughs and (b) gritting vehicles were deployed on the (i) M1, (b) M18 and (c) M62 on 21st February. | | (221722) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 62
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) male and (b) female recipients of (i) the basic state pension, (ii) SERPS and (iii) pension credit in the Ribble Valley in the last year for which figures are available. | | (222099) | 63
N | Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the first payments will be made to the former workers at the Allied Steel and Wire Works in Cardiff under the Government's Financial Assistance Scheme. | | (221506) | 64
N | Hywel Williams (Caernarfon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the estimated cost is of implementing the Financial Assistance Scheme for all former Cardiff Allied Steel and Wire workers who were 57 years or older on 14th May 2004. | | (221507) | Questions to the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 65
N | Mr David Kidney (Stafford):To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what support his Department has provided for the maintenance of the network of law centres in England in 2004-05. | | [Question Unstarred] (221535) |
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