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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Tuesday 16 May 2006
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Tuesday 16 May 2006
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Tuesday 16 May 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 16 May of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Tuesday 16 May see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 1
N | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the personal income tax allowance to £7,500, abolishing the 10p starting rate of income tax, raising the basic rate limit to £42,500 and abolishing age-related allowances. | | (71206) | 2
N | Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of changing the lower earnings limit on National Insurance contributions (NICs) to the equivalent of £7,500 per annum for (a) Class One NICs, (b) Class Two NICs, (c) Class Three NICs and (d) Class Four NICs while simultaneously raising the upper earnings limit to the equivalent of £50,000 per annum. | | (71207) | 3
| Colin Challen (Morley & Rothwell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend enterprise investment scheme relief to car clubs. | | (71503) | 4
| Mr David Heathcoat-Amory (Wells):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenue was raised in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005 from imports into the UK of rice (combined nomenclature 1006) from (i) Egypt, (ii) Guyana, (iii) India, (iv) Pakistan, (v) Thailand and (vi) the United States. | | (71500) | 5
| Mr David Heathcoat-Amory (Wells):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenue was raised in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005 from imports into the UK of bananas (combined nomenclature 0803) from (i) Belize, (ii) Brazil, (iii) Cameroon, (iv) Colombia, (v) Costa Rica, (vi) Ivory Coast, (vii) Dominica, (viii) Dominican Republic, (ix) Ecuador, (x) Guatemala, (xi) Jamaica, (xii) Panama, (xiii) St Lucia and (xiv) St Vincent. | | (71501) | Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 6
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which company was used to recruit the Chairman of the Russell Commission. | | (71593) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 7
N | Mr Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to cap the audit fees charged by the Audit Commission to parish councils. | | (71274) | 8
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of properties in each council tax collecting local authority area were recorded as being entitled to second home council tax relief in (a) 1995, (b) 2000, (c) 2005 and (d) 2006. | | (71603) | 9
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) second and (b) holiday homes were liable for business rates in each collecting local authority area in (i) 1995, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2006. | | (71604) | 10
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to promote the employment of a mixed age work force amongst local authorities. | | (71638) | 11
N | John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many fire authorities have not (a) prepared and (b) published a race equality scheme. | | (71423) | 12
N | John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many fire authorities have reviewed their relevant policies and functions in respect of racial equality in accordance with Commission for Racial Equality guidance and published the results. | | (71424) | 13
N | John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding resources have been provided to fire authorities in order to facilitate the implementation of their race equality schemes. | | (71425) | 14
| Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the total costs at current prices of re-branding (a) the Department of the Environment as the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, (b) the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions as the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and (c) the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. | | (71585) | 15
| Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been allocated in connection with the setting up of her new Department for (a) the design and production of new logos, (b) modifications to buildings and furnishings, (c) stationery, (d) online media design, (e) re-branding and (f) other costs; and from what budgets the resources will be drawn. | | (71587) | 16
| Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new affordable housing units were completed in (a) England and (b) local authorities defined as rural in each year since 2000, broken down by region. | | (71588) | 17
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the building of new properties in close proximity to electric pylons. | | (71583) | 18
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with electricity supply companies on the routing of high voltage power lines underground in areas of high density housing. | | (71622) | 19
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) guidance she issues and (b) restrictions she places on electricity companies on the siting of electricity sub-stations in areas of high population density. | | (71650) | 20
| Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what consultations her Department is undertaking on local government re-organisation. | | (71494) | Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 21
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in Coventry South in each of the last five years. | | (70330) | 22
| Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to justice for those who (a) are not eligible for legal aid and (b) are unable to find a solicitor who will take on their case via legal aid. | | (71567) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 23
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether Ofcom's digital dividend review of the value of the spectrum released by full digital switchover will inform Government policy on the extent of the costs of digital switchover to be paid for through the BBC licence fee. | | (71608) | 24
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of legislative reforms to the licensing regime on circuses (a) prior to the introduction of the Licensing Bill to Parliament, (b) during the passage of the Bill through Parliament and (c) since the Licensing Act 2003 received Royal Assent. | | (71609) | 25
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department will publish its first review of the guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003. | | (71610) | 26
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has held with (a) the Football League, (b) publicans and (c) police authorities on the impact on Football League attendances of the screening of Premiership football on a Saturday afternoon via foreign satellite systems. | | (71611) | 27
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure a lasting legacy of increased sporting participation following the 2012 Olympic Games. | | (71612) | 28
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Football Association Premier League on season ticket prices. | | (71613) | 29
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which organisation has formal responsibility for ensuring a lasting legacy of increased sporting participation following the 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement. | | (71614) | 30
| 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 summary of responses to the consultation on temporary event notices; and if she will make a statement. | | (71615) | 31
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the impact of (a) the Licensing Act 2003 and (b) the Gambling Act 2005; and if she will make a statement. | | (71616) | 32
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much (a) Lottery funding and (b) Exchequer funding for which her Department is responsible was spent in connection with sponsorship of the designer fashion industry in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement. | | (71620) | 33
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will place in the Library her Department's consultation document on the Tourism 2012 Charter strategy; and if she will make a statement. | | (71621) | 34
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the value of inbound tourism from China in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. | | (71623) | 35
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the environment of green accommodation providers within the hospitality sector; and if she will make a statement. | | (71625) | 36
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental impact of the hospitality sector; and if she will make a statement. | | (71626) | 37
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she will announce her decision on the the review by the Gambling Commission, of the legal limits on the size of (a) prizes and (b) proceeds of society lotteries. | | (71627) | 38
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total value of the tourism industry to the economy was in each year since 1980; and if she will make a statement. | | (71628) | 39
| Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is Government policy to encourage competition between the National Lottery and society lotteries. | | (71629) | 40
| Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations shehas received on BBC jam's compliance with its approval conditions; and if she will make a statement. | | (71573) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 41
| Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's (a) chart of accounts and (b) resource account codes for financial year 2006-07. | | (71562) | 42
| Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of the monthly forecasts of payment and receipts provided by his Department to the Treasury under its cash management scheme for the second half of 2005-06. | | (71564) | 43
| Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's monthly financial submissions to the Treasury's general expenditure monitoring system for the second half of 2005-06. | | (71565) | 44
| Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will break down the main estimate Request for Resources (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 (i) departmental expenditure limit and (ii) annually managed expenditure provision by sub-head in (A) near cash and (B) non-cash terms for financial year 2006-07. | | (71568) | 45
| Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will break down the main estimate Request for Resources 1 non-budget expenditure provision by sub-head in (a) near cash and (b) non-cash terms for financial year 2006-07. | | (71569) | 46
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what remuneration the six members of the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors have received in each of the last five years. | | (71504) | 47
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the membership of the Army Retirements Board. | | (71505) | 48
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many pleas of conscientious objection to military service have been (a) considered, (b) approved and (c) rejected by the Army Retirements Board on behalf of the Defence Council in each of the last five years. | | (71506) | 49
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to be discharged from the Army on the grounds of conscientious objection to military service have been submitted to his Department by (a) Army reserves and (b) long-term reserves for each of the last five years. | | (71507) | 50
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving soldiers have made an application for discharge; and what the grounds were for each application. | | (71508) | 51
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers have been discharged on the grounds of conscientious objection over the last five years. | | (71509) | 52
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to leave the Army on the grounds of conscientious objection have been considered by his Department over the last five years. | | (71510) | 53
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the companies which have received contracts from his Department for pest control in the south east region of Iraq. | | (71518) | 54
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of renting service accommodation for armed forces personnel in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006. | | (71519) | 55
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations he has received on accommodation charges for service (a) men and (b) women. | | (71520) | 56
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service (a) men and (b) women have received the Accumulated Campaign Service Medal following service in Iraq. | | (71521) | 57
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps the Government has taken to implement its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. | | (71522) | 58
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the United States and (b) other states on fulfilling disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. | | (71523) | 59
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent research has been commissioned by his Department into the development of unmanned combat aerial vehicles. | | (71524) | 60
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints his Department has received about service accommodation in the UK in the last 12 months. | | (71525) | 61
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans are there to upgrade service family quarters at RAF Scampton. | | (71526) | 62
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of fitting reticulated foam devices to Mk1 Hercules aircraft. | | (71527) | 63
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to reduce the pension entitlement of widows of servicemen following a successful compensation claim for death in service. | | (71528) | 64
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of Modern Housing Solutions on maintainance of service families' accommodation. | | (71529) | 65
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from service (a) men and (b) women on the withdrawal of Reverse Concessionary Families Travel; and what assessment he has made of the effect of its withdrawal on army morale. | | (71530) | 66
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the delivery of his Department's revised policy of providing industry with a better and longer term understanding of the Department's future plans. | | (71478) | 67
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made in its discussion with industry on alternatives to competition as a means of delivering value for money; when he expects to complete his Department's action plan on this; and if he will make a statement. | | (71481) | 68
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish the findings of his Department's review of the extent to which current processes and organisational constructs support, encourage, hinder and obstruct the delivery of excellence in acquisition; and if he will make a statement. | | (71482) | 69
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to conclude a Strategic Partnering Agreement for helicopters. | | (71483) | 70
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the updating of the Defence Technology Strategy. | | (71484) | 71
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the assessment of the core load required to sustain the (a) high-end design, (b) systems engineering and (c) combat systems integration skills for surface ship design and build. | | (71487) | 72
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made with negotiations to achieve a programme level partnering agreement with a single industrial entity for the full lifecycle of the submarine flotilla. | | (71488) | 73
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the establishment of a unified submarine programme management organisation. | | (71489) | 74
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the creation of a joint plan between his Department and industry for embedding defence acquisition values throughout the acquisition community. | | (71490) | 75
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of levels of project delivery skills within his Department. | | (71491) | 76
| Mr Gerald Howarth (Aldershot):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the pan-Defence Project Delivery Skills Programme. | | (71492) | Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister 77
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what his role will be in developing Government policy on pensions. | | (71543) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 78
N | Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) GCSE and (b) A-level examination results were in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004 and (iv) 2005 of the three non-selective state secondary schools nearest to each of the academies opened in (A) September 2002, (B) September 2003 and (C) September 2004; and what the equivalent results were in each of the three academies. | | (68113) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 79
N | Mr Geoffrey Cox (Torridge & West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether wildlife unit supervisors employed by his Department in connection with the Randomised Badger Culling Trials have been served with redundancy notices; and if he will make a statement. | | (71142) | 80
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what systems have been established to monitor the quality of Rural Payments Agency staff responses to (a) telephone calls and (b) electronic mail. | | (71512) | 81
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) total debt and (b) interest on that debt accrued by farmers as a result of the delay in single farm payments in England, broken down by county. | | (71513) | 82
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what records he keeps of calls back (a) promised and (b) made by Rural Payments Agency staff. | | (71514) | 83
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his estimate is of the costs of running the Rural Payments Agency for each year since 2001. | | (71515) | 84
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints about Rural Payment Agency (RPA) payments have been received by RPA staff in each of the last five years; and how complaints were (a) identified and (b) defined. | | (71516) | 85
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of e-mails to the Rural Payments Agency have been (a) acknowledged within one working day and (b) replied to within 15 working days in each month since October 2001. | | (71517) | 86
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Rural Payments Agency, (b) farmers' unions and (c) the European Commission on the use of partial payments to farmers in England for the Single Payment Scheme for 2006. | | (71531) | 87
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many telephone calls to the Rural Payments Agency Customer Service Centre resulted in left messages in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those calls were returned within one working day. | | (71532) | 88
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many telephone calls to the Rural Payments Agency Customer Service Centre (a) were answered and (b) went unanswered in each month since 2001. | | (71533) | 89
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) permanent staff and (b) temporary staff were employed by the Rural Payments Agency in each month since October 2001 expressed in terms of (i) actual staff numbers and (ii) full-time equivalent staff; and if he will make a statement. | | (71536) | 90
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average time taken for the Rural Payments Agency to process applications for payments to farmers and agricultural businesses has been in each year since 2001, broken down by scheme. | | (71537) | 91
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total number of days lost due to (a) sickness absence and (b) unauthorised absence in (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies was in each year since 2000. | | (71538) | 92
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what IT contracts the Rural Payments Agency has with private businesses; what the cost of each is; and what assessment he has made of their value for money. | | (71539) | 93
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the backlog is of Rural Payments Agency cases for (a) single farm payments and (b) entry level scheme payments; what plans he has to reduce each backlog; and by what date the Rural Payments Agency will have cleared its backlog. | | (71540) | 94
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of systems for paying farm subsidies to farmers in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) European Union states and (d) England. | | (71541) | 95
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has undertaken into the environmental effects of deep-burial of nuclear waste. | | (71634) | 96
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote the planting of oak trees. | | (71581) | 97
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of mature oak trees in England and Wales in each of the last five years. | | (71617) | 98
N | Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will list the consultations undertaken by his Department in the last 12 months; how many people were directly consulted in each case; how many responses were received to each consultation; what his estimate is of the cost to business of responding to those consultations; and on what assumptions his estimate is based. | | (71270) | 99
| Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the average cost per ton of recycling waste material in (a) Swindon and (b) England in each of the last three years. | | (71652) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 100
| Mr Jeremy Browne (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the strength of the Taliban in Waziristan, Pakistan. | | (71640) | 101
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9th May 2006, Official Report, column 196W, on RAF Wideawake, how many military bases leased to the US Administration worldwide by the UK (a) are and (b) are not subject to rent or charges. | | (71472) | 102
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9th May 2006, Official Report, column 196W, on RAF Wideawake, if she will list the UK military bases worldwide which are leased to the military of other countries for which the UK (a) collects and (b) does not collect rent or charges. | | (71473) | 103
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who owns the freeholds to the dwellings leased to Ascension Island workers. | | (71641) | 104
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of the domestic dwellings on Ascension Island are (a) freehold and (b) leasehold properties. | | (71642) | 105
| Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Bahamas Agreement. | | (71643) | 106
N | Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what her policy is on Pakistan's application to join the UN Human Rights Council; and if she will take steps to ensure that Pakistan shows clear progress in implementing international human rights standards, especially in relation to the treatment of women and religious minorities, before its membership is approved. | | (70902) | 107
| Mr Andrew Tyrie (Chichester):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8th May 2006, Official Report, column 55W, on rendition, since what date the Government has expected a state to seek permission for each individual rendition flight through UK airspace and UK air bases, including overseas territories. | | (71485) | 108
| Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations she has made to Iran concerning the filling of the post of Iranian Ambassador to London. | | (71495) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 109
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many lay associates have been trained by the Healthcare Commission for handling complaints against the NHS; how much it cost the Commission to provide the training; and how much has been paid to associates attending mandatory training courses. | | (71395) | 110
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was for a complaint against the NHS to be processed by the Healthcare Commission in the last period for which figures are available; and what the average cost of dealing with a complaint was in that period. | | (71396) | 111
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many independent panels involving lay associates have been convened by the Healthcare Commission for the investigation of complaints against the NHS. | | (71397) | 112
N | Mr Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether her Department has issued guidance to general practitioners on the use of fingerprints as a compulsory personal identifier for patients; and whether she has taken steps to discourage the use of fingerprints for this purpose. | | (67399) | 113
| Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) existing levels of funding for hearing aid services are maintained and (b) waiting times and waiting numbers are reduced following the exclusion of direct audiology referrals from the 18-week waiting time target. | | (71477) | 114
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times ambulances attended emergency mental health cases in Coventry South in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. | | (70958) | 115
| Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that information on how to receive the BCG vaccination is available following the decision to end the school-based vaccination programme. | | (71486) | 116
N | Mr Brian Jenkins (Tamworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she expects to announce her decision on the possible merger of Staffordshire Ambulance Service with other ambulance services. | | (71271) | 117
N | Mr Piara S. Khabra (Ealing Southall):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the net change in the numbers of (a) doctors and (b) nurses in the North West London Strategic Health Authority area has been since 1997. | | (71144) | 118
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will make a statement on the cost of the new general practitioner contract. | | (71574) | 119
| Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the implications of the announcement by the Computer Sciences Corporation of a reduction of 1,200 jobs across the UK on its contract with the NHS in the North West and the North Midlands. | | (71624) | 120
N | Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what approval primary care trusts require from strategic health authorities for (a) the disposal of buildings and land and (b) the use of associated funds; at what stage in the disposal process strategic health authorities become involved; and if she will make a statement. | | (69681) | 121
N | Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether her Department allows primary care trusts to use the proceeds of disposed assets (a) to fund the rent of additional buildings and (b) for other purposes in connection with delivering healthcare; and if she will make a statement. | | (69682) | 122
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25th April 2006 to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes, Official Report, column 1071W, on choose and book, for what reasons the statistics on the Connecting for Health website of 296,655 Choose and Book bookings to 25th April 2006 differs from that given in the Answer. | | (71499) | 123
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of the savings made by the NHS from the centralised procurement process for generic medicines in 2005. | | (71570) | 124
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many members there are of the NHS pension scheme; and how many of those are pensioners. | | (71572) | 125
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on training and endorsements for wound care nurses in 2005; and what assessment her Department has undertaken of the value for money obtained from the expenditure. | | (71584) | 126
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by the NHS on branded wound care products in 2005; and what research her Department has undertaken into the purchase of non-branded products. | | (71586) | 127
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what levels of (a) debt and (b) deficit the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust inherited from its predecessors at its inception; and whether these amounts were paid by her Department. | | (71602) | 128
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the liabilities of the NHS Pension Scheme are. | | (71605) | 129
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS Pension Scheme is funded; and what the contribution level of the scheme is. | | (71606) | 130
| Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans there are for (a) negotiations on and (b) changes to the NHS Pension Scheme. | | (71607) | 131
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research her Department has commissioned into the effect of electromagnetic fields on public health in the last five years. | | (71576) | 132
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people (a) received hospital treatment and (b) died as a result of wasp and bee stings in each of the last five years. | | (71618) | 133
N | Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the planned level of funding is for each of the remaining years of the 2000 10 year Cancer Plan. | | (71272) | 134
N | Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans she has to develop a new Cancer Plan to replace the current plan in 2010. | | (71273) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 135
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were employed in (a) armed response units and (b) specialist firearms officers teams in Bedfordshire Police Force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (71577) | 136
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle violent crime in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. | | (71578) | 137
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is given to telephone call handlers in police call centres; and if he will make a statement. | | (71579) | 138
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what national guidelines are issued to (a) police firearms units and (b) specialist firearms officers teams on handling incidents; and if he will make a statement. | | (71582) | 139
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the use of firearms was authorised in operations in each police force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (71594) | 140
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the impact of the proposed restructuring of police forces on the provision of (a) armed response units and (b) specialist firearms officers teams; and if he will make a statement. | | (71595) | 141
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to reduce crime in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. | | (71596) | 142
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many training courses have been provided by Bedfordshire Police in (a) initial firearms, (b) armed response vehicles, (c) specialist firearms officers, (d) national firearms instructors, (e) tactical refreshers for authorised firearms officers and (f) firearms incident command training; and if he will make a statement. | | (71644) | 143
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received on the deployment of (a) armed response units and (b) specialist firearms officers in Bedfordshire; and if he will make a statement. | | (71645) | 144
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is provided for those employed in the use of police conflict management vehicles; and if he will make a statement. | | (71646) | 145
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what national guidelines are issued to police forces in England and Wales on the deployment of conflict management vehicles; and if he will make a statement. | | (71648) | 146
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were employed in (a) armed response units and (b) specialist firearms officers teams in each police force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (71649) | 147
| Mrs Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on training for members of (a) armed response units and (b) specialist firearms officers teams in each police force in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. | | (71651) | 148
N | Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target has been set for processing applications for licences issued by the Security Industry Authority; and what the (a) mean and (b) modal period has been for processing applications since its inception. | | (71143) | 149
N | Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a small firms impact test was undertaken as part of the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Security Industries Act 2001; and what guidance officials used to determine whether to undertake such a test. | | (71145) | 150
N | Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 22nd February from Mr Patrick Somerville of the International Professional Security Association on the implementation of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. | | (71146) | 151
| Mr Adam Holloway (Gravesham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of closed circuit television footage in (a) deterring and (b) prosecuting offenders who commit assaults on the street. | | (71630) | 152
N | Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many persons are employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in working for Police Direct; what his policy is on the expansion of Police Direct; and if he will make a statement. | | (70899) | 153
N | Mr Greg Knight (East Yorkshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students are taking part in policing foundation degree courses; what the cost of the programme will be in 2006-07; if he will list the forces that have opted into the project; and if he will make a statement. | | (70900) | 154
N | Dr Phyllis Starkey (Milton Keynes South West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10th May 2006 to Question 69808, on international arrest warrants, if he will set out the guidelines on publishing representations received from foreign governments which have been applied in this case; and to which other bodies such guidelines apply. | | (71394) | 155
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions of individuals using unsolicited mail to carry out fraudulent acts there were in the most recent year for which figures are available. | | (71575) | 156
| Kitty Ussher (Burnley):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average length of time was taken by the Police Professional Standards Department to conduct an internal inquiry into the conduct of a police officer in the last period for which figures are available. | | (71632) | 157
| Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued in (a) Lancashire, (b) Blackpool and (c) Lancaster and Wyre in each year since 2002. | | (71493) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 158
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. | | (70171) | 159
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the situation of women in Sudan. | | (70172) | 160
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition's report will be published. | | (71542) | 161
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the recent report on his Department's response to the Indian Ocean disaster. | | (71589) | 162
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department plans to take to strengthen the capacity of the UN system for (a) leading and (b) co-ordinating multilateral disaster relief operations. | | (71590) | 163
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) role, (b) performance and (c) accountability of partners involved in channelling UK aid to areas of need in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. | | (71591) | 164
| Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who the authors were of the recent report on his Department's response to the Indian Ocean disaster; and how much the report cost to produce. | | (71592) | 165
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the total amount of (a) relief and (b) development overseas aid Sri Lanka has received since the tsunami in December 2004. | | (71635) | 166
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent attacks by Tamil Tigers on the post-tsunami recovery process in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. | | (71637) | 167
| Mr Brooks Newmark (Braintree):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will assess the merits of using amphibian aircraft to service the island of St. Helena in preference to the construction of a new airport. | | (71480) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 168
N | David Simpson (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 25th April 2006, Official Report, column 1043W, on special advisers, what the grade is of each of the two special advisers employed as temporary civil servants within his Department; and whether the posts they hold were advertised. | | (71375) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 169
| Mr Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many VAT deregistrations there were in the retail sector in the county of Northumberland in each year since1995. | | (71511) | 170
| Mr Jeremy Browne (Taunton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many post offices have been closed in (a) Taunton constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. | | (71639) | 171
N | Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people in Coventry South have been declared bankrupt in each year since 1997. | | (70331) | 172
| Mr John Grogan (Selby):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when he expects alterations to the Dust Calculation Model allowing the full accession of UK Coal plc to the Claims Handling Agreement in respect of coal health compensation to be completed; and if he will make a statement. | | (71476) | 173
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department will attend the United Nations conference in New York from 26th June to 6th July 2006 to review progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. | | (71496) | 174
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what involvement he has had in the Government strategy to make progress on the International Arms Trade Treaty. | | (71497) | 175
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he made of the ethical credentials of Elbit prior to awarding the UK Watchkeeper contract to the company. | | (71498) | 176
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps his Department is taking to expand the (a) roll-out and (b) take-up of broadband in rural areas. | | (71633) | 177
| Jeremy Wright (Rugby & Kenilworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps his Department is taking to tackle telephone cold-calling from companies located outside the EU. | | (71631) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 178
| Colin Challen (Morley & Rothwell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list publicly-funded schemes of greater than £50,000 in value for transport infrastructure in (a) London and (b) West Yorkshire. | | (71502) | 179
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average cost per mile was of (a) building and (b) maintaining (i) three lane motorways, (ii) dual carriageways and (iii) single lane roads in each of the last 10 years. | | (71561) | 180
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Pass Plus certificates have been (a) applied for and (b) issued by the Driving Standards Agency in each of the last eight weeks. | | (71563) | 181
| Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average difference between road building tender costs and road building outturn costs has been in each of the last 10 years. | | (71566) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 182
N | Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many departmental staff are employed in Action Teams in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) in each Action Team area; and how they will be redeployed when Action Team activity ends in September. | | (69877) | 183
N | Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Action Teams for jobs; and if he will make a statement. | | (69878) | 184
N | Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what level of Government funding was provided to Remploy in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what level of funding will be provided to Remploy in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. | | (69879) | 185
N | Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the areas served by Action Teams. | | (69908) | 186
N | Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) Pathways to Work, (b) employment zones and (c) resources from the Deprived Areas Fund will be available in areas served by action teams. | | (70470) | 187
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance he has given to the Pensions Regulator on whether the transfer of assets from a company whose pension fund was showing a deficit would be a bar to the transfer of pension liabilities to the Pension Protection Fund. | | (71373) | 188
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the application by the Kvaerner Pension Fund to the Pensions Regulator to cease its responsibilities as a sponsoring employer. | | (71374) | 189
N | Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) fathers and (b) mothers have responsibility for (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five, (vi) six, (vii) seven and (viii) eight or more children in different households for whom there is a maintenance liability. | | (71471) | 190
| Mr John Grogan (Selby):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the future of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. | | (71479) | 191
| Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) benefits and (b) other assistance are offered by his Department to those who act as carers for (i) ill and (ii) disabled relatives in Wirral West. | | (71636) | 192
N | Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when former employees of Triplex Components Group Limited of Walton, Peterborough will have their cases expedited under the Financial Assistance Scheme; and if he will make a statement. | | (70434) | 193
N | Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were (a) eligible for and (b) receiving savings credit in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; how many he expects (A) to be eligible for and (B) to receive the credit in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement. | | (70329) | 194
| Mr Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will instruct the Health and Safety Executive to seek to prosecute all unregistered gas-fitters where there is evidence of a breach of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. | | (71534) | 195
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to power companies regarding appropriate security measures around (a) high voltage pylons and (b) sub-stations. | | (71647) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 196
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what provision of pest control services his Department requires of local authorities. | | [Transferred] (71619) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 197
| Mr Andrew Pelling (Croydon Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations she is making to the European Court of Human Rights for the removal of the language barriers highlighted in the recent Woolf Report on the working practices of that institution. | | [Transferred] (71535) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 198
N | Mr Edward Vaizey (Wantage):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of the year-end gross NHS deficit for the 2005-06 financial year. | | [Question Unstarred] (70855) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 199
| Mark Tami (Alyn & Deeside):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) adults and (b) children were (i) killed and (ii) injured as a result of coming into contact with high voltage power lines in each of the last five years. | | [Transferred] (71580) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 200
| Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on China's involvement in the Galileo service. | | [Transferred] (71571) |
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