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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Tuesday 7 March 2006
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Tuesday 7 March 2006
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 7 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 7 March of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Tuesday 7 March see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 1
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of people are in receipt of child benefit in Crosby constituency. | | (56993) | 2
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit claimants are receiving regular manual payments as a result of computer error. | | (56942) | 3
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what alterations are being made to his Department's computer system for the change to the tax credit disregard level in April 2006. | | (56943) | 4
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of time on average his Department's computer system has been accessible to staff working in the Tax Credit Office in each year since 2003-04. | | (56944) | 5
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many referrals members of staff at the Tax Credit Office made to their IT support system in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06 to date. | | (56945) | 6
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there is a limit on the number of tax credit claims from 2003-04 that can be reassessed by staff in light of new information. | | (56946) | 7
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many members of staff employed by his Department are on temporary contracts. | | (56947) | 8
N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many post-neonatal babies died from cot death in the period covered by the most recent statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics; and how many such deaths would have been recorded in that period if the rate for post-neonatal first babies inside marriage were applied to all post-neonatal babies. | | (56731) | Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 9
| Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many Cabinet committees the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the hon. Member for Darlington, (a) chaired and (b) was a member of; and how many meetings of each committee he attended between 8th September 2004 and 6th May 2005. | | (56925) | Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 10
| Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what are the reasons for the delay in the implementation of section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002; and if she will make a statement. | | (56913) | 11
| Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) other Government departments and (b) interested parties on the implementation of section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002; and if she will make a statement. | | (56914) | 12
| Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the decision by the Legal Services Commission to withdraw funding for access to specialist and complex legal advice in Wirral South. | | (56964) | 13
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase voter registration. | | (55989) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 14
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions there have been between (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department with their Argentinian counterparts. | | (55984) | 15
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Royal Navy warships were in the vicinity when the British trawler John Cheek was impounded by Argentine coastguard forces; and if he will make a statement. | | (55985) | 16
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the increase in the size of the Argentine Air Force; and if he will make a statement. | | (55986) | 17
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which an Argentinian submarine was recently detected by the Royal Navy near South Georgia. | | (55987) | 18
N | Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what forces are (a) available and (b) scheduled to be available in the next 12 months in the South Atlantic; and at what level of readiness. | | (55988) | 19
N | David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications of the Gershon Review for staffing levels in the Defence Export Services Organisation. | | (56730) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 20
N | Adam Afriyie (Windsor):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what representations he has received on the accuracy of the Mid Year Population Estimates data used to determine local authority grant allocations. | | (56834) | 21
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies are taking to ensure an adequate provision of (i) cultural and (ii) sporting facilities in the Thames Gateway development; and if he will make a statement. | | (56918) | 22
N | Mr Mark Lancaster (North East Milton Keynes):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, by what medium the press notice issued on 16th February by his Department regarding funding for infrastructure projects in Milton Keynes was distributed to (a) the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes, (b) the hon. Member for Milton Keynes South West and (c) the press. | | (56739) | 23
N | Mr Michael Meacher (Oldham West & Royton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much was raised by right-to-buy sales in each local authority in each year since 1997; how much was retained by each local authority in each year; how much was (a) transferred from local authority control for other purposes and (b) not permitted to be used for housing purposes by the local authority; and what percentage the amount transferred from local authority control and not permitted to be used for housing purposes represents as a percentage of the amount from right-to-buy sales put into housing revenue accounts in each case in each year. | | (56380) | 24
N | Mr Michael Meacher (Oldham West & Royton):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much rental income was received by each local authority from their council house stock in each year since 1997; how much of this rental income each year was (a) kept for use by the local authority in their housing revenue account and (b) transferred from local authority control for other purposes; and what percentage the amount transferred away from local authority control represents as a percentage of the amount remaining in the housing revenue account in each case. | | (56381) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 25
| Ms Celia Barlow (Hove):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which local education authorities use banding in allocating pupils for secondary education. | | (56898) | 26
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many young people leaving care in Coventry South in 2004-05 received a leaving care grant of (a) less than £500, (b) over £500, (c) over £1,000 and (d) over £2,000. | | (55990) | 27
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average annual earnings of full-time members of the academic staff of universities in the West Midlands were in the last year for which figures are available. | | (55991) | 28
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average funding per pupil is for 2005-06 in Coventry South. | | (55992) | 29
N | Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when she will answer Question 35341, tabled on 1st December 2005 by the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, on trust schools. | | (56833) | 30
N | Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what analysis of national media coverage of education issues has been commissioned by her Department in the past 12 months. | | (56884) | 31
N | Mr John Denham (Southampton, Itchen):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) allocated and (b) actual Learning and Skills Council funding distributed to each relevant educational institution in (i) Hampshire, (ii) Southampton, (iii) Portsmouth and (iv) the Isle of Wight has been in each of the last four years, broken down by (A) 16 to 18 and (B) 19 plus age groups. | | (56029) | 32
| Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of secondary school students in Hendon achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C in (a) 2005 and (b) 1997; and if she will make a statement. | | (56912) | 33
| Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment she has made of the effect of education maintenance allowance on staying on rates (a) in England and (b) in Hendon; and if she will make a statement. | | (56983) | 34
| Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what funding has been given to Barnet for extended school hours initiatives; and if she will make a statement. | | (56991) | 35
N | Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations she has received from churches on proposed changes to the way capital funding is channelled to schools; and if she will make a statement. | | (55898) | 36
N | Mr Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teenage pregnancies there were in Wolverhampton in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. | | (56297) | 37
N | Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much Government funding has been provided for communication aids projects in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; how much will be made available in each of the next three years; and if she will make a statement. | | (56612) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 38
| Mr Eric Forth (Bromley & Chislehurst):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the proportion of carbon dioxide globally which is generated by (a) human activity and (b) natural phenomena. | | (56981) | 39
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the (a) Environment Agency and (b) other operating authorities allocated to flood risk prevention measures for the Suffolk coast and its tidal rivers in each year since 2003-04. | | (56926) | 40
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of expenditure by (a) the Environment Agency and (b) other operating authorities in each year since 2003-04 was spent on the maintenance of tidal river and coastal defences (a) in England, (b) in the Anglian region and (c) on the Suffolk coast including the Stour and Orwell. | | (56927) | 41
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list flood protection projects (a) undertaken, (b) under way and (c) proposed for the Suffolk coast in each year since (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2006-07, including those which have not yet been approved by her Department; and in each case what the (A) estimated cost is and (B) threshold score is, calculated on the basis of the priority scoring system. | | (56928) | 42
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will increase expenditure on flood risk prevention measures, including the maintenance of existing defences. | | (56929) | 43
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list research funded by her Department which is (a) completed, (b) under way and (c) proposed on the development of flood management strategies and plans for the Suffolk coast and its tidal rivers; and what is the estimated cost of such research between 2003-04 and 2008-09. | | (56930) | 44
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage margin of error she has allowed for her predictions of sea level rise on the East coast of England over the next (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 50 and (d) 100 years. | | (56931) | 45
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Treasury on setting a figure of 4.5 mm a year for sea level rise over the next 100 years for every tidal location in the UK as the basis for developing flood management strategies and shoreline management plans. | | (56932) | 46
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the degree of variation between national and local data on sea level rise (a) along the Suffolk coast and (b) in Suffolk estuaries; and if she will take steps to measure local variations. | | (56933) | 47
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the tidal gauge opposite Orford Quay will be repaired. | | (56934) | 48
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average level of sea rise was over the last 10 years on the East coast of England due to (a) climate change and (b) isostatic change; and what estimate she has made of the rise over the next (i) 10, (ii) 20, (iii) 50 and (iv) 100 years. | | (56935) | 49
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria were used in making the decision to require the Environment Agency and other operating authorities to assume that isostatic change on the East Coast will be 1.5 mm a year; and what account was taken of the latest UK Climate Change Impacts Programme data in making the decision. | | (56936) | 50
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will instruct the Environment Agency to ensure that accurate local tidal data is available to inform reviews of flood management strategies for the Suffolk coastal estuaries. | | (56937) | 51
| Mr John Gummer (Suffolk Coastal):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what account is taken in the allocation of capital grants for flood and river defence schemes between coastal and inland flood defence projects of (a) national priorities for protecting parts of the coast within areas of outstanding natural beauty and (b) maintaining high levels of employment and economic activity within these areas. | | (56963) | 52
| Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how allowing a portion of their land to be used for leisure activities affects single farm payments to farmers. | | (56956) | 53
N | Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis was for her statements that birds vaccinated against avian influenza continue to spread the virus. | | (56673) | 54
N | 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 use of vaccination against H5N1 avian influenza in Hong Kong in 2002-03. | | (56674) | 55
| Mark Simmonds (Boston & Skegness):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many homes have been unable to obtain insurance against flood damage in (a) Boston and Skegness, (b) Lincolnshire and (c) England. | | (56916) | 56
N | Paddy Tipping (Sherwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish the Draft Marine Bill; and if she will make a statement on its scope. | | (56256) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 57
| Ms Celia Barlow (Hove):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to Israel on ending (a) the use of occupied territories for settlements and roads and (b) the construction of the wall in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. | | [R] (56903) | 58
| Ms Celia Barlow (Hove):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he recognises the right of return to their homes and land of Palestinian refugees. | | [R] (56904) | 59
N | Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) human rights and (b) other humanitarian personnel working in Chechnya. | | (56733) | 60
N | Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is the UK Government's policy on a US-India agreement on nuclear co-operation. | | (56734) | 61
N | Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of civilians who have been killed in Iraq in each month since January 2005. | | (56735) | 62
N | Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) civilians, (b) Afghan soldiers and (c) coalition soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan in each quarter since January 2002. | | (56736) | 63
N | Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the borders of the State of Israel. | | (56775) | 64
N | Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the United States of America and (b) member states of the EU in respect of the establishment of an international arms trade treaty. | | (56168) | 65
| Clare Short (Birmingham, Ladywood):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 20th January and 3rd February requesting him to receive a delegation of Parliamentarians and lawyers representing the British residents detained at Guantanamo Bay. | | (56908) | 66
N | Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he took during the Presidency of the EU to try to ensure that its accounts were approved by the EU auditors. | | (56675) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 67
| Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what Government support has been committed to the Biobank project; what progress has been made with the project; and if she will make a statement. | | (56998) | 68
| Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations her Department has received on elastic cigarettes developed by British American Tobacco; and what assessment she has made of their health effects. | | (56999) | 69
| Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria were used to assess the performance of the Citizens Advice Bureau in its delivery of the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service; and whether this criteria will be applied to other contractors. | | (56965) | 70
| Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice she received in connection with the decision to (a) end the Citizens Advice Bureau's contract in the North West to provide the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and (b) withdraw support from this model of service delivery. | | (56966) | 71
| Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the decision was taken to end the contract to Citizens Advice Bureau in the North West for the provision of the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service. | | (56967) | 72
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients who attended hospitals in the Liverpool area in 2004-05 visited the hospital for treatment more than three times in that year. | | (56978) | 73
| Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with diabetes (a) in the area served by Shropshire County Primary Care Trust and (b) in each constituency in Shropshire in each of the last five years. | | (56919) | 74
| Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the capacity of Wockhardt to meet demand from diabetes patients for natural animal insulins when it becomes the only supplier of animal insulin in the UK. | | (56920) | 75
| Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many fatalities of diabetes patients there have been since January 2004 where the long-acting insulin analogue, Lantus, has been suspected to be a cause or contributory factor; and what steps have been taken to assess its safety. | | (56921) | 76
| Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the cost-effectiveness of the new long-acting insulin, placed on the market after the initial National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance published in 2002; and whether the forthcoming NICE review will include such an assessment. | | (56922) | 77
| Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the likely effects on UK supplies of animal insulin of the level of imports to the EU and US for personal use. | | (56923) | 78
| Mr Philip Dunne (Ludlow):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she is taking to ensure there is no disruption to the (a) supply and (b) production of animal insulins in the UK. | | (56924) | 79
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she is taking to guarantee the supply and availability of animal insulins; and whether these supplies can be guaranteed until 2010. | | (56917) | 80
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the initial National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the use of long-acting insulin analogues published in November 2002 is under review; and if she will make a statement. | | (56941) | 81
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17th January 2006, Official Report, column 1297, to the hon. Member for Angus on Departmental funding, if she will break down funding provided to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in each of the last three years by main budget heading. | | (56957) | 82
N | Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many primary care trusts are not offering children-only NHS contracts to General Dental Service dentists under the post 1st April 2006 contract. | | (56613) | 83
N | Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average number of Units of Dental Activity an NHS dentist with a majority NHS patient list is expected to undertake in a year. | | (56614) | 84
N | Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Statement by the hon. Member for Doncaster Central, in the Fourth Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation on 8th February 2006, column 21, what other research, apart from the Units of Dental Activity system, her Department undertook to establish a mechanism to monitor the new General Dental Service contract post 1st April 2006 before laying the regulations. | | (56616) | 85
N | Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group is next expected to report on its new initiatives. | | (56591) | 86
N | Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many acute trusts have contracts with Patientline, broken down by region. | | (55899) | 87
N | Mr Mark Lancaster (North East Milton Keynes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is her policy that eye examinations will continue to be provided under the NHS under general ophthalmic services. | | (56883) | 88
| Mr Mark Lancaster (North East Milton Keynes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she will reply to Questions 47415 and 47427, on neuroblastoma, tabled by the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes on 30th January 2006. | | (56939) | 89
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of (a) nutrient levels in organic baby foods and (b) the incidence of benzene in drinks marketed for children. | | (56990) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 90
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners released from foreign prisons were held by British police on their return for (a) one hour, (b) two hours, (c) three hours, (d) four hours, (e) five hours and (f) six hours or more at each airport in the UK in each of the last five years. | | (56909) | 91
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria the police use in deciding whether to interview newly released prisoners from foreign prisons upon their arrival in the United Kingdom; what legislation governs such decisions; and if he will make a statement. | | (56910) | 92
| Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the police may detain prisoners released from foreign prisons upon their arrival in the United Kingdom; what recent representations he has received about the practice; what discussions he has had with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about the practice; and if he will make a statement. | | (56911) | 93
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what further steps a complainant can take who is not satisfied by the response of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. | | (56977) | 94
N | Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) cautioned and (b) prosecuted by Lancashire Police for possession of cannabis in each of the last 10 years. | | (56773) | 95
| Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he expects to meet the target for full issuing of biometric passports by October 2006. | | (56960) | 96
| Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects the first biometric passport to be issued. | | (56961) | 97
N | Mr Denis MacShane (Rotherham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) successful prosecutions there have been under section 47 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003; and if he will make a statement. | | (55799) | 98
| Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the protesters outside the Danish Embassy on 4th February have been identified by the police. | | (56901) | 99
| Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many arrests have been made following the demonstrations outside the Danish Embassy on 4th February; and if he will make a statement. | | (56902) | 100
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Police Support staff, (b) community support officers and (c) special constables there were in each police authority area in England and Wales in each of the last 20 years, ranked in descending order. | | (56984) | 101
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice was given to police forces that had delayed investing in IT systems because they expected a national intelligence system to be in place by 2007 once it became clear that delivery of the national system would be delayed until at least 2010. | | (56260) | 102
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the IMPACT Nominal Index is fully operational in every child abuse investigations unit in England and Wales. | | (56261) | 103
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date he expects the IMPACT Nominal Index to be operational in all areas of police forces in England and Wales. | | (56262) | 104
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the additional (a) manpower and (b) resources required by police forces in England and Wales to extend the IMPACT Nominal Index from child abuse investigation units to the whole force; and if he will make a statement. | | (56263) | 105
| Lynda Waltho (Stourbridge):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers who stated that they were from the Darfur region of Sudan have been returned since 2000. | | (56982) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 106
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on his Department's work in relief and reconstruction following the South Asian earthquake. | | (56976) | 107
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made in establishing the Regional Health Emergency Response and Disaster Management Centre in Islamabad. | | (56986) | 108
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures have been taken towards his Department's target of 67 per cent. of births in Africa being assisted by skilled birth attendants by 2006. | | (57001) | 109
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations he has made to the governments of African countries on increasing the priority given to healthcare. | | (57002) | 110
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Fast Track Initiative in mobilising funding for African nations. | | (57003) | 111
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Darfur. | | (57004) | 112
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on the African Union's work on conflict prevention. | | (57005) | 113
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's projects to reform the Sierra Leonean (a) armed forces, (b) police and (c) security services. | | (57006) | 114
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on the work of the Sierra Leonean Anti-Corruption Commission. | | (57007) | 115
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent representations he has made to the Indian government on (a) caste and (b) gender discrimination. | | (57008) | 116
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether he expects the wild poliomyelitis virus to be eradicated in India in 2006. | | (57009) | 117
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on his Department's work in twinning UK schools with schools in developing countries. | | (57010) | 118
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes his Department funds to promote the commercial competitiveness of small-scale African farmers. | | (57011) | 119
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the people of Sierra Leone is classed as living in poverty. | | (57012) | 120
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of Sierra Leonean children receive (a) primary and (b) secondary education. | | (57013) | 121
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's work to reduce HIV/AIDS in (a) Sierra Leone, (b) the Mano River region and (c) the whole of Africa; and if he will make a statement. | | (57014) | 122
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress his Department has made towards achieving Target 4 of the Public Service Agreement Objectives and Targets for 2003 to 2006. | | (57015) | 123
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps have been taken by his Department to ensure a rapid and efficient delivery of acute phase relief in disaster relief operations. | | (57016) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 124
N | Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what investigations there have been into the allegations by consultant surgeons at the Royal Victoria Hospital in a letter dated 18th October 2004 to the Chief Executive of the Royal Group of Hospitals of obstruction in getting gravely ill patients into theatre for necessary surgery. | | (56378) | 125
N | Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many multiple scelerosis sufferers in the Southern Health Board are waiting to commence (a) beta interferon and (b) glatiramer treatment. | | (56379) | Questions to the Prime Minister 126
N | Frank Dobson (Holborn & St Pancras):To ask the Prime Minister, how much was paid to Professor Julian Le Grand during his period of employment as a Downing Street adviser. | | (56828) | 127
N | Frank Dobson (Holborn & St Pancras):To ask the Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the total sum to be paid to Downing Street advisers in 2005-06. | | (56829) | 128
N | Frank Dobson (Holborn & St Pancras):To ask the Prime Minister, what methods he uses to assess the value for money of the employment of Downing Street advisers (a) in general and (b) individually. | | (56830) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 129
| Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what funding the Department has made available to Citizen's Advice Bureaux in 2005-06; and whether the Department attaches conditions on geographical distribution to the funding. | | (56992) | 130
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many small businesses were created in the North West region in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005; and how many are expected to be created in 2006. | | (56987) | 131
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what measures are being put in place following the 2005 North West Regional Economic Strategy review to improve access to public and private sector business support providers. | | (56988) | 132
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what percentage of small businesses in the United Kingdom failed within their first year of operation in 2005. | | (56989) | 133
| Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when he last met the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers to discuss the monitoring of the internet. | | (57000) | 134
N | Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the activities of BAE Systems and its subsidiaries in respect of the export of military equipment and support systems to Uganda. | | (56169) | 135
N | Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what export credits guarantees have been awarded to BAE Systems and its subsidiaries for each of the past five years for which records are available. | | (56170) | 136
N | Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps he has taken to ensure that (a) UK owned and (b) UK based transnational corporations adhere to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. | | (56171) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 137
N | Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) current and (b) proposed new guidance for mariners on (i) Muckle Flugga, (ii) Fethaland, Shetland and (iii) Tor Ness, Hoy. | | (56831) | 138
N | Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the new marine environmental high risk areas for (a) Muckle Flugga, (b) Fethaland, Shetland and (c) Tor Ness, Hoy. | | (56832) | 139
N | Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what methods he will use to assess compliance with the new guidance for mariners on marine environmental high risk areas; and after what period of time he will assess the impact of the measure. | | (56885) | 140
N | Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many hours of surveillance the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has conducted in each year since 1997 in relation to preventing pollution. | | (56886) | 141
N | Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions for pollution at sea there have been in each year since 1997. | | (56887) | 142
| Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents involving oil tankers have taken place in each of the last 20 years in (a) international and (b) UK waters. | | (56938) | 143
| Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations other than the police are able to access information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on car registrations and owners. | | (56958) | 144
| Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency gives to organisations other than the police which can access its information on car registrations and owners on appropriate use of the information. | | (56959) | 145
N | Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish the guidance for promoters of light rail schemes referred to in the Treasury Minute in response to the Eleventh Report of 2004-05 from the Committee of Public Accounts. | | (56771) | 146
| Mr Brooks Newmark (Braintree):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the decision to close the M11 motorway on Saturday 25th February. | | (56962) | 147
N | Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received in the past six months regarding the proposed extension of the Metrolink network in Greater Manchester. | | (56609) | 148
N | Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will break down by main budget heading the latest estimated cost of the Rochdale-Oldham Metrolink Extension. | | (56611) | 149
N | Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had since 1st January on the proposed extension of the Metrolink network in Greater Manchester. | | (56615) | 150
N | Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to make an announcement about the proposed extension of the Metrolink network in Greater Manchester. | | (56617) | 151
N | Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the discretionary travel schemes which have been adopted in each Passenger Transport Executive area in addition to the free off-peak bus travel. | | (56738) | 152
N | David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last met representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority to discuss safety at (a) regional airports and (b) Nottingham East Midlands Airport. | | (56610) | 153
N | David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received regarding a safety alert at Nottingham East Midlands Airport on 4th February. | | (56732) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 154
| Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what cost benefit analysis he has conducted of the Access to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement. | | (56899) | 155
| Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of Pathways to Work pilots on demand for support from the Access to Work scheme in those areas; and if he will make a statement. | | (56900) | 156
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the (a) 18 to 24, (b) 25 to 39, (c) 40 to 54 and (d) 55 to 65 years age band were in receipt of (i) disability allowance, (ii) invalid care allowance, (iii) carer's allowance, (iv) incapacity benefit and (v) other health-related benefit in each year since 2000; and what percentage of the total population of the Crosby constituency this represented in each case. | | (56994) | 157
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what collaborative projects his Department has undertaken with the Merseyside Police Authority to combat fraudulent activities in relation to benefits; and if he will make a statement. | | (56995) | 158
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of fee-paying cash machines on people whose benefits are paid by direct payment. | | (57017) | 159
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department's 2005 target for the direct payment of benefits was met. | | (57018) | 160
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of the £90 million allocated to improving the Child Support Agency's performance. | | (56769) | 161
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) lone parents and (b) lone parents in receipt of benefit are in receipt of child support maintenance. | | (56770) | 162
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in respect of how many children child maintenance payments were received in each year since 1997. | | (56772) | 163
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been collected in child maintenance for each year since 1997. | | (56774) | 164
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women who paid a full stamp and additional class 3 voluntary contributions for a period when they were unable to work are now receiving a full pension as a result. | | (56940) | 165
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) people aged 25 to 49 years, (b) women aged 50 to 59 years and (c) men aged 50 to 64 years have been unemployed for more than 18 months in each month in each year since 1992. | | (56968) | 166
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of New Deal for Young People leavers took up (a) unsubsidised and (b) subsidised employment in (i) the private sector, (ii) the public sector and (iii) the voluntary and social enterprise sector in each year since the programme began. | | (56969) | 167
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost has been to his Department of each New Deal programme in each year since the schemes began. | | (56970) | 168
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of participants in the (a) New Deal 25 plus and (b) New Deal for Young People programmes who started the programmes (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times, (iv) four times and (v) more than four times were educated to (A) GCSE, (B) NVQ, (C) A level and (D) degree level in each year since the programmes began. | | (56971) | 169
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of known job entrants from (a) New Deal for Young People and (b) New Deal 25 plus started jobs that were not sustained beyond 13 weeks duration in each year since the programmes began. | | (56972) | 170
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of leavers from (a) New Deal for Young People and (b) New Deal 25 plus recommenced claiming benefits within 12 months of leaving the programme in each year since it began. | | (56973) | 171
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average age of New Deal for Young People leavers who left the programme to commence (a) employment, (b) a combination of employment and claiming benefits and (c) claiming benefits only has been in each year since the scheme began. | | (56974) | 172
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of (a) New Deal 25 plus and (b) New Deal for Young People leavers who left the programme and commenced (i) employment, (ii) a combination of employment and benefits and (iii) claiming benefits had been educated to (A) GCSE, (B) NVQ, (C) A level and (D) degree level in each year since the scheme began. | | (56975) | 173
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents with care who have (a) received and (b) applied for a Child Support Agency assessment are (i) not receiving maintenance and (ii) receiving less than £130 per week in benefit. | | (56979) | 174
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the next set of Households Below Average Income data will be published. | | (56980) | 175
| Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the letter of 19th July 2004 from the hon. Member for Croydon North to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs, if he will recalculate the figures on adult disadvantages to include retirement on 31st December 2004 and 31st December 2005. | | (56985) | 176
N | Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people likely to be claiming incapacity benefit in 2008 (a) in total and (b) who will be retired by 2018. | | (56737) | 177
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many members of staff employed by his Department are on temporary contracts. | | (56948) | 178
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workers from the new European Union member states are claiming unemployment benefits in the United Kingdom. | | (56906) | 179
| Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the change in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits has been since May 2004. | | (56907) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 180
N | Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) contraction and (b) death rates were for (i) breast cancer, (ii) lung cancer and (iii) prostate cancer in the last year for which figures are available. | | [Transferred] (56592) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 181
| Clare Short (Birmingham, Ladywood):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, requesting a meeting with Parliamentarians and lawyers regarding British residents detained at Guantanamo Bay. | | [Transferred] (56905) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 182
N | Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will make a statement on changes to the Home Oxygen Service. | | [Question Unstarred] (56306) |
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