Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2005 - 06
Publications on the internet
The Questions Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Thursday 20 July 2006

Notes:
* Indicates a Question for Oral Answer.
+ Indicates a Question not included in the random selection process but accepted because the quota for that day had not been filled.
[N] Indicates a Question for Written Answer on a named day, i.e. the Member has indicated under S.O. No. 22(4) the day on which he wishes the Question to be answered.
[R] Indicates that a relevant interest has been declared.

Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Thursday 20 July 2006
(the 'Questions Book')

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Thursday 20 July 2006

This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Thursday 20 July 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 Thursday 20 July of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper.

For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Thursday 20 July see Part 2 of this paper.

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

1
N Mr James Arbuthnot (North East Hampshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has accepted the recommendations of the review by Lord Carter into HM Revenue Customs' Online Services; and if he will make a statement.

(86873)

2
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much income tax was raised in the last year for which figures are available.

(87155)

3
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of administering the income tax system in the latest year for which figures are available.

(87157)

4
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with EU finance ministers on tackling Missing Trader Intra-Community fraud; what proposals he has put to the EU on measures to tackle MTIC; and if he will make a statement.

(87179)

5
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claims for VAT were withheld on the suspicion of Missing Trader Intra-Community fraud in each of the last 12 quarters for which information is available.

(87180)

6
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what percentage (a) exports and (b) imports changed between 1998 and 2004; and what assessment he has made of the connected trends in world trade over the same period.

(87503)

7
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what percentage (a) exports and (b) imports with European Union countries changed between 1998 and 2004; and what assessment he has made of such trends in trade over the same period.

(87504)

8
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Services Authority has assessed the merits of setting up a stand-alone financial consumer education initiative.

(87386)

9
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for changes in spending on financial consumer education in connection with his target to educate all children in financial matters.

(87387)

10
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) guidance and (b) targets have been issued by the Office of Government Commerce to Government Departments on the procurement of fairly traded products.

(87521)

11
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what responsibilities the Office of Government Commerce has for encouraging the use of fairly traded products by Government Departments.

(87522)

12
N Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the interim response of Mr Michael Armstrong of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Data Protection Unit, of 17th May, (reference SAR 2090/06), to the hon. Member's constituent Mr Gerard Churchhouse's Subject Access Request, when the further documents are expected to be supplied; why further documents already obtained by HMRC have not been supplied to date; when Mr Churchhouse may inspect the original files on which a decision was made; and if he will make a statement.

(86743)

13
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the 10 most valuable pieces of publicly-owned art in 11 Downing Street are.

(87581)

14
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to ensure that Ministers do not receive special treatment in respect of their personal tax affairs.

(87587)

15
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what publications have been provided by his civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement.

(87593)

16
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) the UK and (b) Ashton-under-Lyne have been overpaid working tax credits since their introduction.

(84850)

17
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what measures his Department has taken to reduce poverty in Ashton-under-Lyne since 1997.

(84851)

18
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many overpayments of (a) working and (b) child tax credit have been made to claimants in Ashton-under-Lyne since the credits were introduced; what the value of those overpayments was; how many of the overpayments have not been recovered; and what the value was of unrecovered overpayments.

(84852)

19
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many payments have been made in (a) the UK and (b) Ashton-under-Lyne under HM Customs and Revenue's code of practice for (i) causing worry and distress to claimants, (ii) delay in answering queries and (iii) costs incurred by the claimant in making contact in each year since tax credits were introduced; and what the annual cost was of payments in each category in each area.

(84853)

20
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Civil Service posts have been transferred from London to the Greater Manchester area in the last 12 months; and how many posts are under consideration for such transfer.

(85337)

21
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the consistency with which different strengths of alcohol are taxed.

(87550)

22
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will reply to Question number 80066, on tax credits, tabled by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak on 20th June 2006.

(87598)

23
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of inward investment in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area in each year since 1997.

(87363)

24
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the net effect on households in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area of the introduction of tax credits since 1997.

(87364)

25
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area were being paid below the minimum wage upon its introduction.

(87369)

26
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the next generation of the nuclear deterrent will be (a) wholly and (b) partly financed by funding additional to the normal defence budget.

(87095)

27
Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average length of time has been taken to process changes in tax credit awards since the new security measures were implemented.

(87333)

28
Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average length of time the Tax Credit Department took to process changes in awards of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

(87334)

29
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the tax taken from betting on sport in the UK in each of the last five years.

(87236)

30
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much VAT was paid on the greyhound racing levy in each of the last three years.

(87237)

31
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the percentage electoral registration rate was for the 100 (a) richest and (b) poorest wards in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(87731)

32
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of families with three or more children in which neither parent works lived in each county in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(87733)

33
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of families with three or more children lived in each county of (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986, (iii) 1996 and (iv) 2006, ranked in descending order by county.

(87735)

34
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many jobs were lost in the (a) tourism, (b) agriculture, (c) fishing and (d) defence-related industries in each constituency in Devon and Cornwall in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

(87391)

35
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the contribution of the online gambling industry to the UK economy.

(87313)

36
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87638)

37
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what report he has received on the Treasury-hosted seminar to explore how Government and business community can encourage the development of energy services markets; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

(87452)

38
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the members of the group examining the provision of information and support on energy efficiency to business chaired by the Financial Secretary and Mr Richard Ellis are; and when it has met.

(87453)

39
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to induce local and central government to cooperate to encourage dissemination of best practice and innovation on reducing emissions by the public sector.

(87454)

40
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of how the wear and tear allowance might be reformed to incentivise landlords to invest in energy efficiency.

(87455)

41
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been employed in the Office of Government Commerce efficiency team in each of the last five years.

(87456)

42
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he has met the Prime Minister to discuss reports received from the Office of Government Commerce efficiency team in the last 12 months.

(87457)

43
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many PSA targets set in SR2002 (a) have and (b) have not been achieved.

(87458)

44
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the members are of the Treasury's Ethnic Minority Advisory Group; and when it has met in each of the last three years.

(87459)

45
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the transitional costs arising from the Treasury Group's CSR settlement to be met from a modernisation fund.

(87460)

46
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what costs have been incurred in each year in operating the Treasury's family help line; and how many calls it received in each of the last 12 months for which information is available.

(87461)

47
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the members of the International Advisory Council are; and when it has met.

(87462)

48
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the projections in respect of unfunded public sector pension schemes in the 2005 Long Term Public Finance Report are, excluding the cash inflows from member contributions.

(87529)

49
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what projections in respect of unfunded public sector pension schemes in the 2005 Long Term Public Finance Report would be if allowance were made for (a) the future impact on NHS payscales of the implementation of Agenda For Change and (b) the agreement of new contracts for general practitioners and hospital consultants.

(87530)

50
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library the calculation underlying paragraphs 1.35 and 1.36 of HC 968, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2006.

(87531)

51
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the reference to the high-level group in paragraph 3.103 of HC 968, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and Budget Report, March 2006, who the members of the group are; on what dates it has met; when it will announce a strategy; and if he will place in the Library the minutes of its meetings.

(87532)

52
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what net taxes and national insurance contributions were, excluding North Sea revenues as defined in footnote three to table C9 of the 2006 Budget report, HC 968, in each year since 1976-77; and what these figures represent as a percentage of gross domestic product in each year.

(87533)

53
Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what dates his International Business Advisory Council has met; and how many members were present at each meeting.

(87534)

54
Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the BBC received as a VAT rebate under section 33 of the VAT Act in each of the last five financial years.

(87388)

55
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data is collected by the Government related to (a) the acquisition of companies financed by the (i) exchange and (ii) issue of shares and (b) the financial performance of such companies, with particular reference to patterns of investment by them.

(87131)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

56
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what guidance the Cabinet Office issues to Government Ministers on declaring to HM Revenue and Customs financial benefits (a) Ministers and (b) their spouses have received from foreign persons or foreign corporations directly or indirectly as a result of their Ministerial position.

(87594)

57
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether the Cabinet Office issues guidance to departments on civil servants making personal use of departmental-issued credit cards; and if she will make a statement.

(87601)

58
N Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the (a) purposes and (b) objectives are of the Misc 33 Committee.

(86939)

59
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87656)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

60
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much council tax was raised in the last year for which figures are available.

(87156)

61
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost was of administering the council tax system in the latest year for which figures are available.

(87158)

62
N Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be appointed; and if she will make a statement.

(86742)

63
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many large outbreaks of fire there were in each fire authority in each of the last 10 years.

(87181)

64
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for the introduction of choice-based lettings; what the results were of the pilot projects; and how she expects the policy to operate in rural areas where there is a shortage of social housing.

(87226)

65
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information facilities will be made available to ensure that tenants have knowledge of stock availability under the introduction of choice-based lettings.

(87227)

66
Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East & Mexborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built on brownfield sites in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster in each year since 1997.

(87633)

67
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the Greater London population paid council tax in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage qualified for discounts.

(87115)

68
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many brownfield sites there are in each London borough.

(87243)

69
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many psychiatric patients have been discharged from hospital into (a) temporary accommodation and (b) council housing in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(87245)

70
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to support local authorities becoming designated as fair trade councils.

(87523)

71
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the projected budgets are for each area-based initiative which receives funding from her Department for (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09, broken down by (i) region and (ii) county.

(87526)

72
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was (a) originally budgeted for 2005-06, (b) not spent in 2005-06, (c) carried forward to 2006-07 and (d) budgeted for 2006-07 for each area-based initiative for which her Department is responsible.

(87527)

73
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the budget was for each area-based initiative for (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06 for each (i) region and (ii) county.

(87528)

74
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities can require developers wishing to develop inside a special protection area (SPA) and its radius to provide land in mitigation for that development and its notional impact on the SPA.

(87345)

75
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether energy performance certificates will be required for rented accommodation.

(87346)

76
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what maximum or highest resolution of aerial photography Ordnance Survey holds for parts of England.

(87347)

77
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to review the pan-government agreement with Ordnance Survey.

(87349)

78
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what payments the Valuation Office Agency makes to Ordnance Survey (OS) outside the pan-government OS agreement for access to the imagery and photographic data that OS holds.

(87350)

79
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of (a) the merits and (b) the enforceability of covenants on new homes banning cats and dogs as pets in special protection areas.

(87351)

80
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of special protection areas status on (a) the viability of the provision of affordable housing, (b) the rate of new development and house building and (c) the construction industry in the area and its vicinity.

(87352)

81
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 4th May 2006, Official Report, column 1800W, on council tax, how many copies of council tax bills were received by (a) registered and (b) recorded post at (i) Eland House and (ii) 26 Whitehall; and how many of the written representations about council tax included copies of council tax bills.

(87451)

82
N Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance the Government has given to local authorities on the treatment of money allocated to councils for the concessionary travel scheme but not spent; and whether such under-spending should be returned to central government.

(86938)

83
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of quarries on (a) residential areas and (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty.

(87249)

84
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's definition is of an exceptional circumstance, for the purposes of Minerals Policy Statement 2, in which mineral extraction would be allowed in an area of outstanding beauty.

(87250)

85
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to satisfy herself that Minerals Policy Statement 2, on controlling and mitigating the environmental effects of mineral extraction in England, protects areas of outstanding natural beauty from unnecessary and damaging quarrying.

(87251)

86
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) houses and (b) flats formerly owned by local authorities have been sold under the Right to Buy since the scheme's inception; and what the total value is at current prices of discounts in the period.

(87450)

87
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6th July 2006, Official Report, column 1313W, on former council properties, if she will collect the information requested on properties formerly owned by local authorities.

(87669)

88
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area were (i) homeless and (ii) on Sunderland City's Council's housing waiting list in each year since 1997.

(87371)

89
N Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to tackle low life expectancy in areas of deprivation.

(87009)

90
N Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how (a) tenants and (b) the public can assess the relative performance of housing associations; and if she will make a statement.

(86168)

91
Dr Howard Stoate (Dartford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness as a means of preventing homelessness of the deposit loan, guarantee and bond schemes offered by local authorities and housing associations in England to enable people on low incomes to rent in the private rented sector.

(87259)

92
Dr Howard Stoate (Dartford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in England provide deposit loan, guarantee and bond schemes to enable people on low incomes to rent in the private rented sector.

(87260)

93
Dr Howard Stoate (Dartford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations regarding the provision of deposit loan, guarantee and bond schemes for people to rent in the private rented sector.

(87261)

94
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many environmental health notices were issued in each London borough since 1997.

(87228)

95
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff were employed by each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87277)

96
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning enforcement notices were issued in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87278)

97
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was given to each London borough per person in the Local Government Finance Settlement in each year since 1997.

(87322)

98
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87654)

99
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to her Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 127W, on Post Office network services, what activity required to answer the Question most contributed to her estimate of disproportionate cost.

(87565)

100
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to her Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 127W, on Post Office network services, what services her Department makes available through the Post Office network.

(87566)

Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs

101
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many private prosecutions were undertaken in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Essex and (c) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; how many (i) succeeded and (ii) failed in each year; and how many were stopped on the grounds of (A) public interest and (B) insufficient evidence in each year.

(87215)

102
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the budget for 2006-07 is for the Courts Service in (a) Dorset, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) Wiltshire; and what changes will be made to the budget as a result of the restructuring in October.

(87480)

103
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what consultation was carried out prior to the decision to amalgamate the Dorset Courts Board with the Wiltshire Courts Board and the Gloucestershire Courts Board from October; and what the effect of the restructuring will be upon the Courts Service in Dorset.

(87481)

104
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ensure that overspending in the Legal Aid budget is not financed by reductions in the budget for HM Courts Services.

(87482)

105
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many people are employed by the Courts Service in (a) Dorset, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) Wiltshire; and how many jobs will be lost in each county as a result of the restructuring in October.

(87483)

106
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many court orders have been made for the repossession of homes in each London borough since 1987.

(87242)

107
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many applications there have been for legal aid in housing cases in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(87244)

108
N Mr Brian Jenkins (Tamworth):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many postal votes were issued by Tamworth Borough Council for the local elections in May; and what percentage were returned as valid votes.

(86740)

109
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the average councillor to elector ratio was in the (a) richest and (b) poorest council wards in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(87732)

110
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87655)

111
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many magistrates there are in courts in each London borough, broken down by (a) age, (b) ethnicity and (c) sex.

(87713)

112
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many magistrates' courts there are in each London borough.

(87714)

113
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage magistrates from ethnic minority backgrounds; and if she will make a statement.

(87717)

114
N Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many magistrates' courts in England and Wales closed in each year since 1979.

(86746)

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

115
Mrs Janet Dean (Burton):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she expects to be able to announce her decision regarding the stake and prize levels of category C gaming machines.

(87225)

116
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many chlorinated public swimming pools there were in each (a) London borough and (b) constituency in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

(87330)

117
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what provisions were agreed at the Ticket Tout Summit on 17th July regarding the charging of administration fees in relation to tickets returned to the original sellers for re-sale at face value; and if she will make a statement.

[R] (87118)

118
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of a change in the fee structure for premises licences under the Licensing Act 2003 on businesses which have already paid their renewal fees for their premises licence; and if she will make a statement.

[R] (87119)

119
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of premises licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 which have paid their renewal fees for their premises licence since February; and if she will make a statement.

[R] (87120)

120
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism last met representatives of (a) the licensed trade, (b) local authorities, (c) residents' groups, (d) magistrates, (e) police officers, (f) village hall associations, (g) sports clubs, (h) performing arts, (i) the tourism industry, (j) fire services and (k) the retail sector to discuss the Licensing Act 2003 and related legislation; and if she will make a statement.

[R] (87121)

121
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her Oral Statement of 10th July 2006, column 1156 on the BBC Charter, what additional areas of the BBC's financial responsibilities she is considering adding to the scrutiny remit of the National Audit Office; and if she will make a statement.

(87657)

122
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many households in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area have been in receipt of free television licences in each year since the introduction of free licences for people over 75 years.

(87374)

123
Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received on the listing of the Regal Cinema, Evesham.

(87407)

124
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her Answer of 28th June, Official Report, column 722W, on fixture lists, with which (a) football authorities and (b) sports governing bodies she is consulting; and what the process of consultation will be.

(87674)

125
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the scale of betting conducted on British sporting events in other EU member states.

(87675)

126
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has made to the EU study on gambling services in the internal market of the EU.

(87676)

127
N Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps Ofcom took to elicit responses to its consultation on television advertising for food products targeting children from those (a) in favour of and (b) opposed to restrictions.

(87011)

128
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the tourism deficit in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

(87382)

129
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what initiatives have been put in place by her Department to increase domestic tourism visits.

(87392)

130
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department plans to contribute for (a) marketing, (b) e-tourism, (c) improving the quality of tourism products and (d) skills and training in connection with achieving the target of £100 billion value for tourism by 2010.

(87393)

131
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to assist (a) small hotels, (b) guest houses and (c) other tourism businesses to enhance the skills of employees.

(87394)

132
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to assist (a) small hotels, (b) guest houses and (c) other tourism businesses to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

(87395)

133
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Government support for the tourism industry was in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement.

(87396)

134
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to assist small tourism enterprises in the use of information technology.

(87399)

135
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department gives to VisitBritain for e-tourism; and if she will make a statement.

(87400)

136
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's planned expenditure is on the tourism sector outside London in each of the next three years.

(87401)

137
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) books, (b) audio books, (c) videos, (d) computer games and (e) DVDs were stocked in public libraries in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87252)

138
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many fishing licences were granted in (a) London and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87253)

139
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many tourists visited (a) London and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87254)

140
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) books, (b) audio books, (c) videos, (d) DVDs and (e) computer games have been lent by libraries in each London borough since 1997.

(87255)

141
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many swimming pools there were in each London borough in each year from 1998 to 2004.

(87414)

142
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) football, (b) rugby, (c) hockey, (d) tennis, (e) cricket, (f) swimming and (g) gymnastic clubs there were in (i) each London borough and (ii) London in the last year for which figures are available.

(87417)

143
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87653)

144
N Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans there are to switch off the analogue radio spectrum.

(86941)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence

145
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total value was of contracts entered into by his Department with Science Applications International Corporation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(87569)

146
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what meetings took place between (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department and representatives of Science Applications International Corporation between January 2003 and December 2004.

(87570)

147
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which companies applied to run the Occupational Authority's Media Network in Iraq; and what criteria were used in deciding who would be awarded the contract.

(87571)

148
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that there is no reduction in the number of university air squadrons and the level of flying training they provide.

(87246)

149
Derek Conway (Old Bexley & Sidcup):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many chaplains are serving with the (a) Royal Navy and Royal Marines, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force; how many in each category are (i) Christian, (ii) Jewish, (iii) Muslim, (iv) Hindu, (v) Sikh and (vi) of other religions; and what the total cost was to public funds of providing chaplaincy services in the last year for which figures are available.

(87381)

150
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the inventory of nuclear waste created from all the nuclear weapons programmes in the UK, including the submarine fleet; when the inventory was last updated; and what his plans are for updating the inventory.

(87384)

151
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has a list of radioactive materials that are not included in the inventory of nuclear waste from nuclear weapons programmes.

(87385)

152
N Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3rd July 2006, Official Report, column 710-11W, on joint personnel administration, what definition he uses of the term formal grievance.

(87005)

153
N Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 30th January 2006, Official Report, column 2-3WS, on Far East Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees (FEPOW Scheme), when he expects to announce the findings of Mr Watkins' report; and if he will make a statement.

(87006)

154
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current actual strength is of each of the civil contingencies reaction forces.

(87698)

155
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many army recruits have undergone basic information and communications technology training in each year since 2001.

(87700)

156
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel from the Volunteer Reserves are committed to the Civil Contingencies Reaction Force in addition to their normal role.

(87701)

157
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many volunteer reserves who are committed to the Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces are deployed overseas.

(87702)

158
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many additional personnel have been recruited to the Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces; and what the target figure is in the next 12 months.

(87703)

159
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many seaborne attacks by armed gangs there were (a) in the Persian Gulf, (b) in the vicinity of Umm Qast and (c) near the Basra Oil Terminal in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006.

(87704)

160
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to counter the threat posed by piracy in international waters.

(87705)

161
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his written statement of 18th July 2006, on the Pattern of Military Low Flying Across the UK 2005-06, when he expects the 2005-06 report to be (a) completed and (b) published.

(87728)

162
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what research work has been carried out to improve the (a) reliability, (b) performance, (c) longevity and (d) safety of the UK's Trident nuclear warhead.

(87169)

163
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Armed Forces Pay Review Body report on Service Medical and Dental Officers to be published.

(87170)

164
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the staffing levels against establishment are for service (a) medical and (b) dental officers.

(87171)

165
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 12th July 2006, Official Report, column 1884W, on welfare services, whether Nell McAndrew will be remunerated for her work on the Confidential Support Line campaign with the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.

(87172)

166
N Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date he was first informed of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's public commitment to retention of the nuclear deterrent in the long-term.

(87096)

167
Anne Moffat (East Lothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contribution the armed forces are making to supporting peace and security in Africa.

(87210)

168
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants listed are working on Trident and nuclear weapons policy, broken down by grade.

(86696)

169
N Mr Alan Reid (Argyll and Bute):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which defence establishments have been closed during the last three years; and how much financial assistance his Department provided in the surrounding area after the closure to support (a) economic development, (b) training, (c) environmental improvements and (d) other purposes in each case.

(86703)

170
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what facilities are available for the detention of military detainees in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

(86700)

171
N Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the conventions are concerning armed services Regular and Reserve personnel having contact with hon. Members; and when they were last circulated.

(86395)

172
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87652)

173
N Mr Robert Walter (North Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much ordnance was used by British forces in Iraq in each of the last six months, broken down by type.

(86101)

174
N Mr Robert Walter (North Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what type of ordnance was used by British forces in Iraq in the past six months.

(86590)

175
N Mr Mike Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the decommissioning of the Vanguard Class submarines.

(86874)

176
N Mr Mike Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual maintenance cost of the Trident weapons system is expected to be in 2006-07; and what the cost was in each of the last five years.

(86875)

177
N Mr Mike Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Astute Class submarines have been considered as the launch platform for the next generation of Trident missiles.

(86942)

178
N Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the computer system responsible for paying the salaries of members of the British armed forces.

(87004)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

179
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what art work he has selected from the Government art collection to decorate his office.

(87582)

180
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what publications have been provided by civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement.

(87590)

181
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what role he has in relation to Government policy on planning.

(87138)

182
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87651)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

183
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 13th July 2006, Official Report, columns 1989-90W, on working together, if he will list the respondents who (a) agreed or strongly agreed that the Government should attempt to set out a clearer policy for professionals including the health service and youth workers on when to share information with social services and the police to protect sexually active children from harm and abuse and (b) agreed that there was a case for information always being shared in some circumstances; and if he will make a statement.

(87312)

184
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if his Department will take steps to ringfence schools spending to ensure the appropriate level of investment is allocated to providing ergonomic, height adjustable furniture in schools; and if he will make a statement.

(87415)

185
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

(87177)

186
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children are taught at least one foreign language.

(87493)

187
Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East & Mexborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many students in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster are exempt from tuition fees.

(87636)

188
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children have participated in Sure Start schemes in each constituency since its introduction.

(87377)

189
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what projections he has made of the number and proportion of pupils in the fourth key stage who will opt to study for (a) a general diploma and (b) a specialised diploma in each of the first five years following their introduction.

(87353)

190
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what his Department's targets are for the take-up of (a) academic and (b) vocational qualifications in each of the next five years.

(87354)

191
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what proportion of pupils (a) in the fourth key stage and (b) between the ages of 14 and 19 years he expects to opt for vocational qualifications in each of the next five years.

(87355)

192
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what publications have been provided by his civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement.

(87592)

193
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many secondary school-age children there are expected to be in (a) Oldham Metropolitan Borough and (b) Tameside Metropolitan Borough in each of the next 10 academic years.

(85334)

194
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Surestart scheme on children in the Hollinwood ward of Oldham, with particular reference to educational attainment.

(85335)

195
N David Heyes (Ashton under Lyne):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he plans to take in response to the report of the Education and Skills Select Committee on Special Educational Needs, with particular reference to steps to address the recommendation regarding the facilitation and encouragement of collaborative arrangements between communities of schools.

(85336)

196
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of students achieved five or more GCSE grade A*-C in comprehensive secondary schools of (a) fewer than 100 students, (b) 100 to 199 students, (c) 200 to 299 students, (d) 300 to 399 students, (e) 400 to 499 students, (f) 500 to 599 students, (g) 600 to 700 students and (h) over 700 students in (i) rural areas and (ii) areas not classified as rural in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(87751)

197
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of children in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area met the Government's literacy and numeracy targets in each year since 1997.

(87372)

198
N Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when his Department plans to publish the results of its research into numbers of nursery, playgroup and daycare providers whose actual costs of provision for three and four year olds exceed the sum received from Government.

(86879)

199
N Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to tackle low life expectancy in areas of deprivation.

(87007)

200
N Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have a playing field or playground where students can practise sports and participate in physical education lessons; and how much land was in use as school playing fields in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

(86872)

201
N Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of students in English schools taking GCSE (a) Art, (b) Drama and (c) Music achieved grades A* to C in the last period for which figures are available.

(87010)

202
N Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the National Union of Teachers on education policies; and if he will make a statement.

(86097)

203
N Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has undertaken of the cost effectiveness of the operation of the Research Assessment Exercise.

(86169)

204
Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what analysis he is making of the effects of the introduction of citizenship education into the National Curriculum.

(87326)

205
Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what interpretation and translation service provision his Department makes for people (a) visiting his Department, (b) telephoning his Department and (c) visiting his Department's website.

(87379)

206
N Sir John Stanley (Tonbridge & Malling):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in rural areas were approved for closure in 2005, broken down by local authority area.

(86451)

207
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of examinations taken in (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science, (d) music, (e) French, (f) physical education and (g) leisure and tourism at (i) GCSE and (ii) A level were set by Edexcel in the last year for which figures are available.

(86747)

208
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many final grades at (a) GCSE and (b) A level were incorrectly awarded and subsequently corrected in each of the past five years.

(86868)

209
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many appeals there were against final grades awarded at (a) GCSE and (b) A level in each of the past five years.

(86869)

210
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of parents' willingness to pay for children's after-school clubs.

(86878)

211
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have toilets fitted with (i) hippos, (ii) cistern and flush controls and (iii) other water saving devices.

(87376)

212
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children in (a) Brent East and (b) Brent (i) are entitled to and (ii) claim free school meals.

(87500)

213
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many 16 year olds achieved five GCSE passes in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87640)

214
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87648)

215
N Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether the criteria for involvement in the Building Schools for the Future pathfinder programme include whether the proposed school or schools admit pupils aged 11 to 16, 11 to 18 or 13 to 18 years.

(86745)

216
N Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) written and (b) electronic communications were sent to (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools by (A) his Department and (B) other official education bodies in 2005.

(86445)

217
N Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many pupils under the age of 18 years sat (a) SATs (b) GCSEs, (c) GNVQs and (d) A levels in each year since 1997.

(86446)

218
N Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he used for pupil numbers in each local education authority for the purposes of calculating the Direct Schools Grant for 2005-06; and whether these figures have been revised.

(86447)

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

219
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the monitoring of the construction of onshore oil and gas pipelines on Sakhalin Island to ensure that it meets environmental standards; and how the information is verified.

(87576)

220
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department has received on how many rivers on Sakhalin Island were crossed with oil and gas pipelines as part of the Sakhalin II project outside the designated winter period detailed in the River Crossing Strategy.

(87577)

221
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures his Department has taken to ensure that there are sufficient safeguards in place to prevent a net loss of salmon spawning area on Sakhalin Island as a result of construction activities by the Sakhalin II consortium; and if he will make a statement.

(87578)

222
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what methods are being used by the International Whaling Commission to monitor the behaviour of the Western Pacific Gray Whale; and whether changes in the whales' behaviour have been documented.

(87579)

223
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 6th July 2005, Official Report, columns 418-25W and 16th June 2005, Official Report, column 552W, on fly-tipping, if he will provide the information for the most recent year for which figures are available.

(87416)

224
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to elaborate on his one planet farming concept; and how this concept will inform his attempts to renegotiate the Common Agricultural Policy.

(87224)

225
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will reconsider the decision not to include proposals for statutory provision for greyhound racing in the Animal Welfare Bill.

(87343)

226
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding British Waterways received from his Department in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(87403)

227
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will sign the long-term contract with British Waterways recommended in the quinquennial review in 2004.

(87404)

228
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding British Waterways will receive from his Department in each of the next three financial years.

(87405)

229
N Mr Christopher Fraser (South West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any of the current functions of (a) English Nature and (b) the Countryside Agency will be discarded in the transfer of responsibilities to Natural England.

(87072)

230
N Mr Christopher Fraser (South West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the transfer of Sites of Special Scientific Interest Wildlife Enhancement Scheme agreements into the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme.

(87073)

231
N Mr Christopher Fraser (South West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made in amalgamating English Nature and the Countryside Agency to form Natural England.

(87074)

232
N Mr Christopher Fraser (South West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what new responsibilities Natural England will have in addition to those arising from the transfer of tasks from the Countryside Agency and English Nature.

(87075)

233
N Mr Christopher Fraser (South West Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how Natural England will co-ordinate its activities with other Government bodies with responsibilities for the natural environment, with particular reference to the Environment Agency.

(87076)

234
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4th May 2006, Official Report, columns 1729-30W, what report his Department has made to the European Commission on by-catch monitoring under the obligations of Council Regulation (EC) 812/2004.

(87342)

235
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps (a) to co-ordinate and (b) to implement an integrated approach across Departments to reduce the UK's carbon emissions.

(87473)

236
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the UK Government will reduce the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. by 2010.

(87474)

237
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact on farmers of the Supermarket Code of Practice.

(87515)

238
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions on the Supermarket Code of Practice he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, (b) farming organisations, (c) supermarkets, (d) retailer representatives and (e) other relevant bodies.

(87516)

239
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what genetically modified crops are licensed to be grown in the UK.

(87519)

240
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were employed in (a) dairy farming, (b) beef farming, (c) sheep farming, (d) arable farming, (e) mixed farming and (f) other forms of farming in Cornwall in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2005.

(87520)

241
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which towns in Cornwall have been engaged in the Coastal and Market Towns Initiative; how much (a) central and (b) local government funding has been spent on each; and which have completed the process and produced a final report.

(87524)

242
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) budget and (b) expenditure was for administration on each area-based initiative for which his Department and its predecessors have been responsible in each year since 1997.

(87525)

243
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total carbon emissions of the UK were in 2005-06; and what assessment he has made of the relative performance of the UK on carbon emissions compared with other major industrial nations.

(87572)

244
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to promote the welfare of retired greyhounds.

(87137)

245
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what percentage the Environment Agency has been asked to reduce its spending from the original level allocated for 2006-07.

(87628)

246
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the change in the condition of flood and coastal defences based on (a) the interim results of the updating of the National Flood and Coastal Defence Database and (b) the most recent previous estimate of the defences.

(87629)

247
Mr Michael Jack (Fylde):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the definition of sound science is by which he will determine the Government's response to its consultations on methods to control bovine tuberculosis.

(87112)

248
Mrs Linda Riordan (Halifax):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will carry out an investigation into the use of electric shock collars as a training aid for dogs; and if he will use such research to assess the merits of banning their use.

(87113)

249
N Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding the Government incorporates into its animal health strategy for the rescue and care of abandoned, wounded and homeless animals.

(86871)

250
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many noise abatement notices were served in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87276)

251
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87649)

252
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the air quality in Brent; and if he will make a statement.

(87723)

253
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much water was lost as a result of water leaks in London in each year since 1997.

(87724)

254
N Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he made the last assessment of the Six Day Movement rule; and if he will make a statement.

[R] (87002)

255
Mr Michael Wills (North Swindon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racing greyhounds were killed at the end of their working lives in each of the last five years.

(87402)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

256
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with the government of (a) Iran and (b) Syria about its role in arming Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon; what reply was received from each; and if she will make a statement.

(87100)

257
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance she (a) has given and (b) plans to offer to the state of Israel to assist that country in fighting (i) Hezbollah terrorists and (ii) other terrorism; and if she will make a statement.

(87101)

258
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have had with the ambassadors of the government of (i) Syria, (ii) Lebanon and (iii) Iran about Hezbollah terrorists firing rockets into the state of Israel; what reply was received in each case; and if she will make a statement.

(87102)

259
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) discussions and (b) representations (i) Ministers and (ii) officials have had with governments of the European Union about Hezbollah terrorism; and if she will make a statement.

(87103)

260
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the levels of expense allowances which are permitted at each of the diplomatic posts within the NATO Alliance and the European Union are; and what they were in May 1997.

(87104)

261
N Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is her Department's policy to support proposals from the Finnish EU Presidency to reduce the EU Commission budget by 56 million euros over the next seven year budget period.

(86741)

262
Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5th July 2006, Official Report, columns 1158-9W, on Israel, whether any information has come to light that (a) military equipment and (b) components supplied by the UK have been deployed by Israel during its operations in (i) Gaza since 27th June 2006 and (ii) in Lebanon since 12th July 2006 in a manner consistent with the consolidated criteria.

(87752)

263
N Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what factors were taken into account when granting Delwar Hossain Sayeedi permission to come to the United Kingdom.

(86877)

264
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her (a) UN Security Council counterparts and (b) EU counterparts about future peacekeeping operations in Somalia.

(87445)

265
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the 5th May Darfur peace accord is implemented by all parties.

(87446)

266
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the next steps towards the fulfilment of the commitment in the G8 2004 Non-Proliferation Action Plan towards a mechanism for the reliable access of all countries to nuclear energy.

(87551)

267
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the outcome of the recent AMIS Conference on Darfur in Brussels.

(87552)

268
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the next steps are towards gaining the agreement of the Sudenese government on the future UN peacekeeping force in Darfur.

(87553)

269
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the Lebanese Government's request to the United Nationas Interim Force in Lebanon to broker a ceasefire; and if she will make a statement.

(87554)

270
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support she has offered to the high-level UN delegation to the Middle East UN mission; what its aims are; and when its mission will end.

(87555)

271
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans she has to visit the Middle East.

(87556)

272
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what humanitarian support the UK plans to offer to Lebanon.

(87557)

273
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

(87558)

274
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of ability of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to help civilians threatened by the current hostilities within its area of operations.

(87559)

275
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the outcome was of the UN Small Arms and Light Weapons Review conference; which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department attended the conference; and if she will make a statement.

(87174)

276
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with representatives from the Canadian government regarding an inter-sessional meeting of states next year following this year's UN Small Arms and Light Weapons Review conference.

(87175)

277
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what publications have been provided by her civil servants as background reading for her ministerial duties since taking office; and if she will make a statement.

(87591)

278
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will establish an Entry Clearance post in Somaliland.

(87239)

279
Anne Moffat (East Lothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Group Four Security provides security services at British embassies abroad.

(87125)

280
Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what has been the total cost of the clean up to date at Chernobyl; and what the UK contribution has been to this work.

(87725)

281
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations she has made to her Pakistani counterpart regarding cross-border terrorist activities in Afghanistan.

(86699)

282
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) EU and (b) US counterparts on reports of the disclosure of British and European financial transactions to the US intelligence services; and if she will make a statement.

(86701)

283
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance programmes the Department has in place to support anti-terrorism capacity building in other countries; what funds are allocated to this task; and in which countries the programmes are located.

(86702)

284
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the situation in Darfur.

(87241)

285
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87650)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

286
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) males and (b) females are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, broken down by age; what medication is available to those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; and if she will make a statement.

(87105)

287
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research her Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake into the reasons for trends in the abortion rate in South Gloucestershire between 2004 and 2005; and if she will make a statement.

(87106)

288
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many sterilisations were carried out (a) alone and (b) with other procedures in each health authority in England in the last year for which figures are available.

(87216)

289
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many sterilisations have been carried out within each health authority in England in each year since 1990, broken down by sex.

(87217)

290
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS of (a) male and (b) female sterilisations in each health authority was in the last year for which figures are available.

(87218)

291
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average time spent in hospital by women having sterilisation operations in each health authority was in the last period for which figures are available.

(87219)

292
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what surveys her Department has carried out in each year since 1990; and if she will make a statement.

(87314)

293
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Essex, (c) Hertfordshire and (d) the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police areas of London offer specialist services for the rehabilitation of patients with severe head injuries.

(87315)

294
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are on NHS waiting lists in Southend-on-Sea for (a) elective surgery and (b) out-patient appointments; what the (i) average and (ii) longest wait was in each case in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement.

(87316)

295
N John Austin (Erith & Thamesmead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps her Department is taking to provide revenue support for the introduction of new DXA scanning machines purchased with the fund allocated from the centrally held revenue budget.

(85585)

296
N John Austin (Erith & Thamesmead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the budget allocated for the purchase of new DXA scanners is (a) available for capital expenditure only and (b) a ring-fenced fund.

(85586)

297
N John Austin (Erith & Thamesmead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which strategic health authorities (a) have received and (b) will receive funding from the fund allocated from the centrally held revenue budget for the purchase of new DXA scanners.

(85587)

298
N John Austin (Erith & Thamesmead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the budget allocated for the purchase of new DXA scanners in 2006-07 and 2007-08 has been spent.

(85588)

299
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans her Department has to consult on the details of the (a) screening tool and (b) decision support tool for determining eligibility for continuing NHS care.

(87668)

300
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 27th June 2006, Official Report, column 321W, on continuing care, if she will provide the information broken down by (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust.

(87699)

301
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provision is made with regard to the cost of incoming hospital telephone calls provided by Patientline, Premier and Hospital Telephone Services for those who are unable to pay.

(87176)

302
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by her Department and its agencies; and if she will make a statement.

(87178)

303
Derek Conway (Old Bexley & Sidcup):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time stipendiary chaplains are working in the National Health Service in England; how many are (i) Christian, (ii) Jewish, (iii) Muslim, (iv) Hindu, (v) Sikh, and (vi) of other religions; and what the total cost was to public funds of providing NHS chaplaincy services in the last year for which figures are available.

(87324)

304
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what palliative treatment is available to patients with mesothelioma.

(87444)

305
Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans her Department has (a) to reduce capital spending and (b) to increase revenue spending on the NHS in 2006-07.

(87320)

306
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many babies have been born in each London borough through assisted reproductive technology in each year since 2000.

(87116)

307
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors have been struck off in each health care trust in each of the last five years; and what the reason was in each case.

(87309)

308
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children have been diagnosed with asthma in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(87310)

309
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many missed appointments there have been in each health care trust in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each of the previous four years.

(87311)

310
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the charge was per minute for telephone calls made (a) by patients from and (b) to patients in hospital, in each primary care trust in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement.

(87329)

311
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people diagnosed with asthma there were in each (a) London borough and (b) constituency in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

(87331)

312
Mr Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS senior staff have resigned from NHS trusts within North Staffordshire in the last 12 months; and where in the UK they have indicated that they are taking new jobs.

(87397)

313
Mr Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many chief executives of (a) strategic health authorities, (b) primary care trusts, (c) hospital trusts and (d) other NHS organisations (i) have been made redundant since 1st May 2005 and (ii) are in the process of being made redundant; and how many in each category are over the age of 55 years.

(87398)

314
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to which NHS trusts turnaround teams were sent during the last 12 months; when the review and audit took place; which company undertook the review and audit; and what the total cost of the review and audit was in each case (a) to the NHS, (b) to the trust and (c) to other contributors.

(87447)

315
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the relative contribution of (a) management failure, (b) inaccurate resource allocation and (c) other factors to the deficits in trusts in 2005-06.

(87448)

316
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many trusts experienced account deficits in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06; and what assessment she has made of the factors causing differences in the level of deficit.

(87449)

317
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made since the Department published its policy guidance entitled Keeping the NHS Local - A New Direction of Travel in respect of the protection and enhancement of small acute hospitals located remotely from larger district general hospitals.

(87463)

318
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many small acute hospitals have been (a) subject to a withdrawal of emergency facilities, (b) subject to a reduction of acute facilities, (c) closed, (d) proposed for closure, (e) subject to an overall closure in emergency facilities and (f) subject to an overall closure in acute facilities since the publication of the policy guidance Keeping the NHS Local - A New Direction of Travel.

(87488)

319
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will list the acute trusts which have ended 2005-06 financial year in deficit; how much she expects the deficit outturn to be; and what proportion of overall turnover that figure represents.

(87489)

320
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what incentives her Department has introduced to reduce waiting times for (a) elective surgical procedures, (b) initial consultation and (c) diagnostic procedures.

(87658)

321
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much and what proportion of the overall budget for acute hospital expenditure for each primary care trust has been spent purchasing (a) procedures and treatment from independent providers operating within the UK and (b) for patients who have travelled outside the UK for treatment in the last five years.

(87659)

322
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will ensure that the next edition of Choosing Your Hospital for the West and Central Cornwall primary care trusts includes full descriptions of each of the three hospitals within the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Trust including their records for cases of (a) MRSA and (b) inpatient waits.

(87660)

323
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) targets, (b) instructions and (c) guidance have been set for primary care trusts in respect of the (i) type and (ii) proportion of elective acute procedures which should be procured from the independent sector.

(87661)

324
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recommendations have been made by the turnaround team auditors of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Trust in respect of (a) hospital services, (b) hospital sites and (c) hospital staff.

(87662)

325
Sandra Gidley (Romsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment she has made of the use of brachytherapy; and if she will make a statement.

(87681)

326
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many foreign nationals married to an EEA or Swiss national have applied for full registration as dentists in the UK since 2004.

(87046)

327
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, why different rules apply to the spouses of EEA/Swiss nationals applying for full registration as dentists in the UK from those that apply for spouses of UK citizens.

(87048)

328
N Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England have been diagnosed with Crohn's disease; what NHS funds are set aside to help treat those suffering from the disease; and what public funds have been allocated to help finance research into developing a DNA Crohn's disease vaccine.

(87071)

329
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what resources have been allocated under the well-being support programme in 2006-07, (a) broken down by primary care trust and (b) in total; what recent assessment she has made of the physical health of people with mental health problems; and if she will make a statement.

(87596)

330
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of people in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area were waiting more than (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) a year for an NHS operation in each year since 1997.

(87373)

331
Norman Lamb (North Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20th June 2006, Official Report, column 1816, on the Skipton Fund, whether (a) a panel has been appointed to hear appeals to the Skipton Fund and (b) a timetable has been set for the commencement of appeals to the Skipton Fund; and if she will make a statement.

(87380)

332
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the 20 week maximum wait for imaging scans from April has the status of a Government target; which imaging scans are included for the purposes of measuring success in meeting this maximum wait; and if she will make a statement.

(87685)

333
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when her Department published the Elective Care Work Force Resource Pack; and if she will place a copy in the Library.

(87686)

334
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when her Department published the Christmas tree workforce plans for imaging and endoscopy; and if she will place a copy in the Library.

(87687)

335
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 13th July 2006, Official Report, column 2073W, on NHS Performance, whether she expects to use her powers under section 97 of the National Health Service Act 1977, as amended, to make adjustments to primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) allocations when total planned transfers from PCTs to SHAs have been finalised.

(87689)

336
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 13th July 2006, Official Report, columns 2086W-2088W, on Waiting Times/Lists, if she will make a statement on the differences between the averages given by the Korner aggregate returns and those given by the Hospital Episode Statistics.

(87690)

337
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent work has been undertaken by her Department to define future demand for echocardiography services.

(87691)

338
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 14th July 2006, Official Report, column 2150W, on dentistry, if she will make a statement on the position at the end of May; and when she intends to publish information relating to the end of June.

(87692)

339
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 13th July 2006, Official Report, column 2042W, on continuing care, if she will make it her policy that no-one currently in receipt of continuing care will lose their entitlement to it with the introduction of the national framework for continuing care.

(87693)

340
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 13th July 2006, Official Report, column 2062W, on the Independent Sector Treatment Programme, what the (a) contract length and (b) contract start date was for each treatment centre.

(87694)

341
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 13th July 2006, Official Report, column 2068W, on NHS Finance, what the aggregate year-end financial postion of each NHS trust was in each year between 1996-97 and 2002.

(87695)

342
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 14th July 2006, Official Report, column 2159W, on Information Technology, what (a) the services covered by the contracts and projects added to the original scope of the programme and (b) the additional services beyond the scope of the core national contracts were; why these services and associated costs were not expected when the national programme was originally procured; whether she expects to spend additional money on (i) the services covered by the contracts and projects added to the original scope of the programme and (ii) the additional services beyond the scope of the core national contracts in future years; and if she will make a statement.

(87696)

343
N Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps her Department is taking to tackle low life expectancy in areas of deprivation.

(87008)

344
Mr Lee Scott (Ilford North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by the health service on the treatment of persons addicted to illegal drugs in each of the last three years.

(87682)

345
Mr John Spellar (Warley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her Answer of 13th July, Official Report, column 2060W, on influenza vaccine, how often in the last 10 years the Novartis Vaccines plant has been out of production; and what the reasons were in each case.

(87726)

346
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training is available for social workers to help them identify and detect victims of trafficking.

(87080)

347
Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley & Holderness):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many MRSA cases there have been in each hospital in Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust area in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

(87673)

348
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Brent (a) were entitled to and (b) received the vaccine for influenza in each year since 1997.

(87238)

349
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors were recruited from overseas in Brent in each year since 1997.

(87321)

350
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people tested HIV positive in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87327)

351
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed as having mental illness in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87494)

352
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with (a) diabetes and (b) Alzheimer's syndrome in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87495)

353
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent on non-NHS staff by each London (a) primary care trust and (b) strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

(87496)

354
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many free eye tests were given in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87497)

355
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed as having AIDS in each London borough since 1997.

(87505)

356
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many free condoms her Department has issued in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87506)

357
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87647)

358
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors in London were struck off the medical register in each year since 1997.

(87664)

359
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) children and (b) adults were diagnosed with asthma in each (i) London primary care trust and (ii) London strategic health authority in each of the last five years.

(87666)

360
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were vaccinated with the MMR jab in each (a) London primary care trust and (b) London strategic health authority in each of the last five years.

(87667)

361
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people received hospital treatment for (a) sunburn, (b) heat stroke and (c) dehydration in (i) each London strategic health authority and (ii) each London primary care trust in each year since 1997.

(87672)

362
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) children and (b) adults were diagnosed as being obese in Brent in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) sex and (b) age.

(87718)

363
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cateract operations were carried out in (a) each London strategic health authority and (b) each London primary care trust in each of the last three years.

(87721)

364
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was for (a) a hip replacement operation and (b) an MRI scan in (i) each London strategic health authority and (ii) each London primary care trust in each of the last three years.

(87722)

365
N Mr Robert Walter (North Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate has been made of the number of staff who have been (a) made redundant, (b) redeployed and (c) prematurely retired as a result of the amalgamation of strategic health authorities; and what the financial cost of these redundancies and early retirements has been.

(86589)

366
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) overseas residents and (b) UK residents not normally living in Eastbourne have received NHS treatment at the Eastbourne District General Hospital in each of the last five years.

(87677)

367
Mr John Whittingdale (Maldon & East Chelmsford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research her Department is undertaking into the causes of fibromyalgia; and if she will make a statement.

(87390)

368
N Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason the deboning of carcases in butchers' shops is restricted in the UK to bovine animals under 24 months.

[R] (87003)

369
N Mr Phil Willis (Harrogate & Knaresborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she will publish the response to the recommendations of the inquiry into the conduct of William Kerr and Michael Haslam published in July 2005.

(86698)

Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department

370
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will introduce legislation to make it unlawful (a) to fundraise and (b) to provide support for the Hezbollah terrorist organisation; and if he will make a statement.

(87214)

371
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total value was of contracts entered into by his Department with Science Applications International Corporation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(87567)

372
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings took place between (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department and representatives of Science Applications International Corporation between January 2003 and December 2004.

(87568)

373
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are sufficient approved places available to the Probation Service to house sex offenders upon their release.

(87580)

374
Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations he has received on a revision to the Statutory Charge document on the Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

(87536)

375
Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what timescale he has set for review of statutory fees relating to vehicle removal, storage and disposal; and if he will make a statement.

(87537)

376
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of field impairment tests in identifying drivers with illegal drugs in their bodies.

(87484)

377
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement about the use and effectiveness of roadside drugalysers.

(87487)

378
Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of people imprisoned on remand pending trial were subsequently (a) acquitted and (b) given a non-custodial sentence in the last period for which figures are available.

(87146)

379
Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times illegal drugs have been found in each prison in London in each of the past five years.

(87147)

380
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many knives were handed in during the recent amnesty in (a) Waltham Forest, (b) Redbridge, (c) London and (d) in total.

(87697)

381
Derek Conway (Old Bexley & Sidcup):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time stipendiary chaplains are working in the Prison Service in England and Wales; how many are (i) Christian, (ii) Jewish, (iii) Muslim, (iv) Hindu, (v) Sikh, and (vi) of other religions; and what the total cost was to public funds of providing prison chaplaincy services in the last year for which figures are available.

(87325)

382
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Immigration Service staff were employed at UK (a) seaports and (b) airports in each of the last five years.

(87297)

383
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the points of entry are into the United Kingdom.

(87298)

384
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which airports have (a) 24 hour security and (b) security provision during operating hours.

(87299)

385
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 10th July 2006, Official Report, column 1685W, on prisons, for which offence each prisoner who absconded from an open prison in England and Wales was originally convicted.

(87300)

386
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 10th July 2006, Official Report, column 1676W, on port security, which ports are in each of the categories referred to.

(87301)

387
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 4th July 2006, Official Report, column 1041W, on asylum/immigration, how competency in the English language is assessed.

(87302)

388
Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East & Mexborough):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) robberies and (b) burglaries were reported in (i) Barnsley and (ii) Doncaster in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in conviction.

(87635)

389
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions there have been for domestic violence in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

(87305)

390
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the trial of the 101 non-emergency telephone number in Cardiff; and whether he plans to implement the scheme throughout England and Wales.

(87306)

391
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been convicted for ticket touting in each of the last five years; and what the average sentence (a) given and (b) served was in each year.

(87307)

392
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of trafficking of children aged under 10 years into the UK have been recorded in each of the last five years.

(87308)

393
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of ritual abuse have (a) been reported and (b) resulted in (i) arrests and (ii) charges in each London borough in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(87332)

394
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers of commercial vehicles in each London borough in the last year for which figures are available.

(87378)

395
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been shot in each London (a) borough and (b) constituency in each of the last 10 years.

(87408)

396
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer to the hon. Member for Southend West of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 66W, on gun crime, why the requested data is not in a form suitable for publication.

(87680)

397
N Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who the Minister of State in his Department plans to meet in connection with the police mergers in Wales over the next three months; and what the dates are of those meetings which have been arranged.

(86880)

398
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the rate of recidivism was amongst paroled prisoners in each of the last five years, broken down by length of sentence served by those paroled.

(87573)

399
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of which individuals the United States is seeking extradition from the UK on grounds of terrorist affiliation.

(87574)

400
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 3rd July 2006, Official Report, column 875W, on damages, what the cost is of obtaining the information requested; how many of his Department's lawyers worked on such cases of damages against his Department in the last period for which figures are available; how damages payments are accounted for in his Department's accounts; what steps he takes to minimise future claims; which Minister is responsible for monitoring such claims; and if he will make a statement.

(87734)

401
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes were recorded in each year since 1997 in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) the Sunderland City Council area.

(87362)

402
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will meet the Chief Constable and Acting Chief Constable of Cumbria and Lancashire and the chairs of their respective police authorities to discuss his proposals for merger of the forces.

(86697)

403
N Willie Rennie (Dunfermline and West Fife):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will answer written parliamentary questions (a) 82963, on foreign nationals in the British armed forces, tabled by the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife for answer on 6th July, and (b) (i) 82374 and (ii) 82372, on the British Army, tabled by the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife for answer on 4th July.

(86692)

404
Mr Lee Scott (Ilford North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent by law enforcement agencies in the fight against illegal drugs in the last three years.

(87679)

405
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many offences have been committed by persons who were electronically tagged in each year since 2001, broken down by constabulary; and how many people committed such offences in each case.

(87208)

406
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated cost was of the electronic tags and tagging system in each year since 2001.

(87209)

407
Clare Short (Birmingham, Ladywood):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 10th May 2006 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on behalf of Sylvia Cumberbatch (Home Office reference C1145804, acknowledgement reference B12281I6).

(87159)

408
Dr Phyllis Starkey (Milton Keynes South West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Security Industry Authority will process the application for a door supervisor's licence submitted by Mark Fleet-Chapman on 5th January.

(87509)

409
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied minors were admitted to the UK in each of the last three years at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Stansted, (d) Birmingham, (e) Manchester and (f) other UK airports; and how many unaccompanied minors were admitted through UK ports in each year.

(86876)

410
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will provide a substantive answer to Question 85722, tabled on 11th July 2006 for answer on 14th July 2006, on Operation Pentameter; and if he will provide before the Summer adjournment a substantive answer to that part of Question 85722 which relates to the country of origin of trafficked minors.

(86881)

411
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is available for policemen to help them identify and detect victims of trafficking.

(87078)

412
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that each police force has an officer (a) trained and (b) designated to deal with trafficked children and women.

(87081)

413
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects every Safer Neighbourhood Team in London to have its full complement of police officers and community safety officers.

(87240)

414
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many mobile telephone thefts there were in Brent in each year since 1997.

(87341)

415
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the future use of (a) Willesden Green and (b) Harlesden police station.

(87490)

416
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) gun and (b) knife-related crimes there were in Brent in each year since 1997.

(87491)

417
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many violent crimes were committed in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87492)

418
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87646)

419
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued in each London borough in each of the last five years to (a) under 12 year olds, (b) 12 year olds, (c) 13 year olds, (d) 14 year olds, (e) 15 year olds, (f) 16 year olds, (g) 17 year olds and (h) 18 years and over, broken down by (i) sex and (ii) ethnicity.

(87706)

420
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers there were in Brent in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) sex and (b) ethnicity.

(87707)

421
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) acceptable behaviour contracts, (b) dispersal orders and (c) fixed penalty notices were issued in each London Borough in each of the last five years.

(87708)

422
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when all safer neighbourhoods teams in Brent are expected to reach their full complement of staff.

(87710)

423
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) burglaries and (b) robberies there were in Brent in each year since 1997.

(87711)

424
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police cars were in use in the London Borough of Brent in each year since 1997.

(87712)

425
Dr Rudi Vis (Finchley & Golders Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decline in the use of home detention curfews during the first five months of 2006 compared with the same period in 2005 and 2004.

(87229)

Questions to the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission

426
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, columns 8-9W, on senior staff appointments, if the Commission will take steps to ensure that in future the appointments to the three senior posts are made by the House.

(87139)

427
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 8W, on accommodation, why the houses are structurally unsuitable for use as offices.

(87140)

428
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much waste generated by the House was recycled in each year since 1997, broken down by category of waste.

(87630)

429
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many staff were employed by the House in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) sex.

(87631)

430
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many passholders are non-UK citizens, broken down by nationality.

(87303)

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development

431
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid his Department has provided in response to the earthquake that struck Java in May.

(87285)

432
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects his Department is funding in (a) Sudan, (b) Lebanon, (c) Israel and (d) Syria; and if he will make a statement.

(87328)

433
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which infrastructure projects funded by (a) the EU and (b) the UK have been destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza in recent months.

(87464)

434
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment his Department has made of the food security situation in (a) Southern Africa, (b) the Horn of Africa and (c) Western Africa.

(87465)

435
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment his Department has made of outbreaks of cholera in (a) Southern Sudan and (b) Southern Africa.

(87466)

436
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding has been pledged to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund for 2007 by (a) the UK, (b) the EU and (c) G8 countries.

(87467)

437
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on their (a) current and (b) planned contributions to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

(87468)

438
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) humanitarian and (b) security situation in the Sudan, broken down by region.

(87469)

439
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) humanitarian and (b) security situation in Somalia.

(87470)

440
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations he made to his G8 counterparts on putting (a) Darfur and (b) Gaza on the agenda for the G8 summit in St Petersburg.

(87471)

441
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will take steps (a) to co-ordinate and (b) to implement an integrated approach across departments to deal with climate change and poverty reduction in developing countries.

(87472)

442
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will make a statement on his Department's commitments to address climate change and environmental degradation in developing countries.

(87475)

443
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how his Department will assist in strengthening (a) biodiversity, (b) the ecosystem and (c) conservation services in developing countries.

(87476)

444
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding his Department has provided for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; and if his Department will fund a future Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

(87477)

445
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff in his Department work on (a) climate change and (b) other environmental issues in developing countries, based (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.

(87478)

446
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings he has had with other Ministers to discuss climate change and its impact on developing countries in the last 12 months.

(87479)

447
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much his Department allocated to tackling diseases in developing countries in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by disease.

(87729)

448
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87644)

449
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance his Department has given the Java island following the tsunami; and if he will make a statement.

(87665)

Questions to the Leader of the House

450
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Leader of the House, how many divisions were called off in each of the last three sessions due to failure to provide tellers; what the (a) date and (b) subject under discussion was in each case; and if he will make a statement.

(87222)

451
N Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Leader of the House, when he expects to publish the dates of sittings for the next session.

(85746)

452
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Leader of the House, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87645)

453
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Leader of the House, whether he has examined the merits of enabling e-tabling of Early Day Motions; and if he will make a statement.

(87730)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

454
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's properties had been vacant for more than three months in each district council area at the end of 2005.

(86943)

455
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps are being taken to ensure that every home in Northern Ireland uses at least one energy efficient light bulb.

(86944)

456
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people in Northern Ireland were dependent on a domiciliary oxygen system in their home in (a) 1995 and (b) 2005.

(86945)

457
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the remuneration is for the chief executives of local councils in Northern Ireland; and what remuneration is proposed for the new chief executive posts.

(86946)

458
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what legislation has been (a) proposed and (b) implemented in relation to the recommendations of the Senior Civil Service Review Team on nationality restrictions.

(87270)

459
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what capital charges on assets will be paid by each Northern Ireland department out of the 2006-07 budget.

(87271)

460
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what (a) discussions he has had and (b) decisions he has made on expanding Workplace 2010 to involve other public service and local government premises whose future use could be affected by the Review of Public Administration.

(87272)

461
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which premises will be involved in Workplace 2010; and how many jobs in each location he estimates will transfer from the Civil Service to the facilities manager or landlord, broken down by category.

(87273)

462
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what flexibility is available for bidders under Workplace 2010 to provide alternative locations for Civil Service employment.

(87274)

463
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment has been made of the potential for decentralising Civil Service employment under the Government's plans for Workplace 2010.

(87275)

464
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of (a) current mileage levels for Omagh ambulance crews and (b) mileage levels prior to the acute services status change at Tyrone County Hospital.

(87279)

465
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the outcome was of the review of the effectiveness of the Ambulance Service's arrangements for ambulance cover at the Northland Road Fire and Rescue Service Station.

(87280)

466
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps are being taken to promote cycling in Northern Ireland.

(87281)

467
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the availability of illegal drugs in prisons in Northern Ireland; and what measures are in place to reduce the availability.

(87282)

468
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to increase the provision of public swimming facilities in Northern Ireland.

(87283)

469
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what action his Department is taking to increase the (a) availability and (b) affordability of accommodation in the private rented sector in Northern Ireland.

(87284)

470
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of pensioners' homes did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in the last period for which figures are available.

(87286)

471
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of pensioners in Northern Ireland live alone.

(87287)

472
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many pensioners in Northern Ireland (a) receive homecare and (b) reside in care homes.

(87288)

473
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many pensioners in Northern Ireland were re-admitted to hospital as an emergency in each of the last five years.

(87289)

474
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in Northern Ireland who have home internet access.

(87290)

475
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people in Northern Ireland aged (a) 65 to 74 and (b) over 75 years participated in (a) publicly funded learning and (b) volunteering in each of the last five years.

(87291)

476
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the average amount pensioners in Northern Ireland spend on (a) food and non-alcoholic drink, (b) electricity and (c) fuel each week.

(87292)

477
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what percentage of pensioner households in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland are classified as fuel poor.

(87293)

478
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of pensioners in Northern Ireland did not take up their eligibility to (a) pension credit and (b) housing benefit in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to ensure pensioners are informed of their benefit entitlements.

(87294)

479
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding has been allocated to Surestart schemes in the Foyle constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by District Electoral Area; and how much investment is planned over the next three years, broken down by District Electoral Area.

(87295)

480
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate has been made of the number of service agreements and other funding arrangements between health and social services trusts and area boards and community and voluntary sector service providers; what range of services is covered in such agreements; and what assessment he has made of the implications for such agreements of the Review of Public Administration.

(87335)

481
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, why the Central Procurement Directorate has instructed relevant officials to increase by 20 per cent. the estimated cost of in-house departmental service provision; and whether ministerial approval was given for this instruction.

(87336)

482
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions ministers have had with the Equality Commission on the eligibility of Irish nationals for reserved posts; and if he will make a statement.

(87337)

483
Mark Durkan (Foyle):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people have been ruled ineligible for reserved posts in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in each of the last five years on the grounds that they were Irish citizens.

(87338)

484
David Simpson (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 22W, on Redundancy, if the redundancy terms granted to employees of the Northern Ireland Police Fund who were laid off were (a) forwarded to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and (b) approved by the NIO in advance of their being agreed with staff.

(87683)

485
David Simpson (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 20W, on Police, when it was decided to replace staff recruited externally with Northern Ireland Office (NIO) staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund; who made the decision to replace staff recruited externally with NIO staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund; and for what reason it was decided to replace staff recruited externally with NIO staff in the Northern Ireland Police Fund.

(87684)

486
David Simpson (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 24W, on Victims March (Dublin) in the course of his discussions with the authorities in the Republic of Ireland following the attacks upon UK citizens in Dublin, what assurances he has sought regarding the future safety of UK citizens while in Dublin; and what assurances regarding the future safety of UK citizens in Dublin were received.

(87688)

487
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87641)

488
Sammy Wilson (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many pupils started (a) AS-levels and (b) A-levels in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; how many students chose science as an A or AS-level subject in Northern Ireland in each year; and how many undergraduate students at universities in Northern Ireland chose science or environmental studies as their main area of study in each year.

(87097)

489
Sammy Wilson (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the merits of including out-of-classroom learning in secondary schools in inspections by the Education and Training Inspectorate in Northern Ireland.

(87098)

490
Sammy Wilson (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many secondary school field courses were funded by each education and library board in each of the last seven years; and how many students have attended such courses.

(87099)

491
Sammy Wilson (East Antrim):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will list the registered charities in Northern Ireland.

(87538)

Questions to the Prime Minister

492
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Prime Minister, what representations he (a) has made and (b) plans to make to the (i) government of Lebanon, (ii) government of Syria, (iii) government of Iran and (iv) United Nations about the honouring of the agreement brokered by the United Nations to protect the Northern Border of the state of Israel; and if he will make a statement.

(87340)

493
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make it his policy to ensure that a public register is maintained of all Ministerial payments to charity in respect of free or subsidised overnight accommodation which is made available to them or their families.

(87586)

494
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make is his policy to strengthen the Ministerial Code to ensure that Ministers' taxation declarations and assessments are up-to-date.

(87588)

495
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, what publications have been provided by his civil servants as background reading for his ministerial duties since taking office; and if he will make a statement.

(87589)

496
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, what the mechanism is by which Ministers may sponsor potential candidates for the Privy Council; and if he will make a statement.

(87595)

497
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, how (a) the Segway transporter, (b) jewellery, watches and costumery, (c) the electric Ferrari, (d) the two daggers, (e) wine and (f) the archaeological artefacts gifted to his Office by the State of Israel and listed on the Donated Asset Reserve are displayed.

(87597)

498
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, whether it is his policy that in future the House will be asked to vote before the UK declares war on another country; and if he will make a statement.

(87599)

499
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, what has been the total cost from public funds of social functions held in 10 Downing Street since May 1997; how many bottles of wine have been consumed; and how many such functions have taken place.

(87600)

500
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Prime Minister, what the 10 most valuable pieces of art are in 10 Downing Street.

(87602)

501
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to Paragraph B of the Goverment's Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee's Annual Report 2005-06, Cm 6865, what arrangements are in place under the Joint Intelligence Committee Chairman which are intended to ensure the opportunity for challenge and dissent at all levels across the intelligence community.

(87535)

502
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with Sir Ghulam Noon concerning matters connected with (a) Party funding and (b) the award of honours.

(86693)

503
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Prime Minister, what communications he has had with (a) Dr Chai Patel and (b) Mr Barry Townsley since his recommendation that they should be elevated to the peerage was rejected.

(86694)

504
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Prime Minister, what events are planned to mark the tenth anniversary of his premiership; and if he will make a statement.

(86695)

505
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Prime Minister, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87642)

Questions to the Solicitor General

506
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Solicitor General, if he will list the offences which may be prosecuted only with the consent of (a) the Solicitor General and (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions.

(87111)

507
David Simpson (Upper Bann):To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 12W, on the Environment and Heritage Service, what steps he takes to ensure cost-effectiveness of court cases brought on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service.

(87339)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

508
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many and which buildings occupied by his Department have air conditioning installed; what plans he has to install further air conditioning in his Department's buildings; and if he will make a statement.

(87107)

509
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps he is taking to promote investment in industry in Southend-on-Sea; and if he will make a statement.

(87108)

510
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will bring forward legislation to amend the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 to provide for an additional Bank Holiday on the last Monday in October each year; what recent representations he has received calling for an additional Bank Holiday; and if he will make a statement.

(87109)

511
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 135W, on Enterprise Insight, what targets have been set for Enterprise Week 2006; what funding was provided for Enterprise Insight in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2004-05; and what funding has been allocated for (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09.

(87375)

512
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston & Surbiton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he made of the extent to which there was a potential conflict of interest when a director of the Environment Agency was appointed to the Board of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency; and if he will make a statement.

(87383)

513
Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the potential for development of low-head hydro power in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Wales in the Energy Review.

(87632)

514
Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what work his Department sponsors into the development of local distributed networks for heat delivery.

(87634)

515
Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many meetings he has had with each of the members of the Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board in each of the last five years.

(87560)

516
Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement on progress toward an international arms trade treaty.

(87561)

517
Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when he will make an announcement on employee share ownership of the Royal Mail.

(87562)

518
Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement on plans to merge the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority with Nirex.

(87563)

519
Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement on energy losses arising through the transmission and distribution of electricity in the UK.

(87564)

520
Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) post offices and (b) sub-post offices there were in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2004-05 in (A) Greater London and (B) the London Borough of Bexley.

(87141)

521
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many representations his Department has received on the trading relationships through the food supply chain from primary producers to supermarkets in each of the last three years.

(87517)

522
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Competition Commission, (b) the Office of Fair Trading and (c) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Supermarket Code of Practice.

(87518)

523
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the Government's arms policy of the situation in Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.

(87173)

524
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much money in legal costs was spent by British Shipbuilders to pursue the case of Murray v British Shipbuilders Hydrodynamics Ltd and Patterson v Smiths Dock to the House of Lords.

(87727)

525
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether Ministers took advice from the Attorney-General about British Shipbuilders pursuing the cases of Murray v British Shipbuilders Hydrodynamics Ltd and Patterson v Smiths Dock to the House of Lords.

(87750)

526
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what information his Department holds on (a) publicly-owned and (b) privately-owned companies which are trading with Zimbabwe.

(87231)

527
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations have been made to his Department regarding the actions of UK companies in Zimbabwe.

(87232)

528
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 3rd July 2006, Official Report, column 851W, on the Business Review, by what criteria companies are expected to assess whether a contractual or supplier relationship is necessary to understand the development, performance or position of their business when deciding what to include in the Business Review under Clause 399 of the Company Law Reform Bill; and whether guidance will be issued on this matter.

(87233)

529
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the statement by the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions to Standing Committee D on 13th July 2006, Official Report, column 703, on Clause 399 of the Company Law Reform Bill, by what criteria he expects companies to assess whether a contractual or other relationship is essential to the business and therefore required to be included in the Business Review by subsection (4) of Clause 399.

(87234)

530
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 6th July 2006, Official Report, column 1297W, on multinational enterprises, by what process and using what criteria the National Contact Point decides which complaints justify consideration as a specific instance for inclusion in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's annual report on the Guidelines.

(87235)

531
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many people were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of inhumanely killing (i) greyhounds and (ii) other animals in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(87511)

532
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what checks are made on people purchasing bolt guns; and if he will make a statement.

(87513)

533
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 17th July 2006, Official Report, column 133W, on electricity transmission, what estimate he has made of the expected contribution of the Government's Microgeneration Strategy to reducing carbon dioxide emissions attributable to electricity transmission and distribution losses; and if he will make a statement.

(87670)

534
Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will take steps to ensure that power producers reduce carbon dioxide emissions attributable to electricity transmission and distribution losses; and if he will make a statement.

(87671)

535
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate he has made of how many (a) people and (b) households in (i) England, (ii) Sunderland City Council area and (iii) Houghton and Washington East constituency are unable to gain access to broadband in their homes.

(87223)

536
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what estimate he has made of the number of telephone exchanges that are still not (a) unbundled with respect to the local loop and (b) enabled for broadband in (i) England, (ii) Sunderland City Council area and (iii) Houghton and Washington East constituency.

(87230)

537
John Penrose (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 5th June 2006, Official Report, column 225W, on franchising, what the reason is for the (single tier) exemption from the provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973 Part XI and its amendments including the Trading Schemes Act 1996; and if he will make a statement.

(87220)

538
John Penrose (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the Answer of 5th June 2006, Official Report, column 225W, on franchising, whether the review of the content of File FT 851 and the Department's view that the two master franchisers in the UK of a foreign-based franchise-trading scheme were both exempt from the provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973 Part XI and its amendments, including the Trading Schemes Act 1996, included a review by Treasury Counsel responsible for the original opinion on which the Department's view was based; and if he will make a statement.

(87221)

539
N Paul Rowen (Rochdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

(86609)

540
N Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley & Holderness):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the long-term visual impact of wind turbines on local communities; and if he will make a statement.

(86608)

541
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87643)

542
Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many members of staff in the Insolvency Service are involved in dealing with the BCCI case; and what costs the Insolvency Service has incurred to date in relation to the case.

(87168)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

543
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for improving the A13; what improvements were made to the A13 between Basildon and Southend-on-Sea during 2005; and if he will make a statement.

(87256)

544
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many speed cameras are situated on the A13 between the A405 and the M25; and what plans there are to install new speed cameras in the next two years.

(87257)

545
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) minor and (b) serious accidents occurred on the A13 between the A405 and the M25 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

(87258)

546
N Mr James Arbuthnot (North East Hampshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to publish the report of the inspector on the proposed work on the A3 at Hindhead.

(86691)

547
N Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations were involved in the preparation of the draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade.

(86170)

548
N Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to publish the draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade; and if he will make a statement.

(86171)

549
N Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Highways Agency has spent on refurbishing Stage Cottage, Hurst Green, East Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

(86172)

550
N Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role the South East England Development Agency has played in preparing draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade.

(86173)

551
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish a consultation document on regulations governing motorway service areas.

(87583)

552
Mr Tim Boswell (Daventry):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many sleep-related traffic accidents occurred on motorways in each of the past three years; how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries were incurred; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of such accidents.

(87584)

553
N Mr Julian Brazier (Canterbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his most recent assessment is of the merits of the Harbours Bill.

(86267)

554
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many pedestrians have been (a) killed and (b) injured by vehicles in each of the last 10 years.

(87123)

555
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road traffic accidents occurred on or near pedestrian crossings in each year since 1997; and how many of these accidents involved the (a) death and (b) injury of pedestrians.

(87124)

556
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal, (b) serious and (c) slight injuries suffered by cyclists on (i) urban roads and (ii) rural roads in each year since 2003 resulted from collisions involving (A) at least one motor vehicle, (B) no motor vehicles and (C) powered two-wheel vehicles.

(87211)

557
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have (a) died and (b) received serious head injuries as a result of a cycling accident in each of the last 10 years.

(87212)

558
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of violence on trains have been reported to the British Transport Police in the last five years.

(87213)

559
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of UK seafarers working regularly at sea and the number of new entrant trainees.

(87547)

560
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are adequate controls on issuing certificates of equivalent competency for foreign officers serving on UK ships.

(87548)

561
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government will make a decision on linking tonnage paid by the shipping companies to the employment of British officers.

(87549)

562
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of motorists who drove with illegal drugs in their bodies in the last 12 months.

(87486)

563
Mr Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of drivers aged (a) 18 to 21 and (b) over 60 years in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990 and (iii) 2005 expressed (A) as a number and (B) as a proportion of the driving population.

(87361)

564
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the international (a) airports and (b) ports in the United Kingdom.

(87296)

565
Mr Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, under what circumstances a local authority (a) requires permission from his Department to impose a 40 mph speed limit and (b) may impose a 40 mph speed limit on a rural road.

(87406)

566
N Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide a substantive reply to Question 84871 before the House rises for the summer adjournment.

(86940)

567
N Mr Mark Lancaster (North East Milton Keynes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether planned improvements to Central Milton Keynes Train Station include a lift for disabled access to all platforms.

(86748)

568
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his consent is required to allow Transport for London to enter into agreements with outside contractors to carry out station or train operating functions on the East London line.

(87148)

569
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with Network Rail, the One Railway Company and organisers of the London 2012 Olympics on improving the appearance of the buildings, structures and trackside between London Liverpool Street Station and Stratford Station.

(87413)

570
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many employees of (a) Network Rail and (b) its contractors are employed in maintaining the track at Dawlish Warren; and what the cost of this workforce has been in each of the last 10 years.

(87077)

571
N Mr Anthony Steen (Totnes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much public money Network Rail has spent in Dawlish Warren on capital work to bolster up the sea defences since 1997; and what the annual cost has been of ongoing repairs in each of the last nine years.

(87079)

572
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal traffic accidents there were in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87498)

573
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many traffic accidents there were involving (a) pedestrians, (b) buses, (c) trams and (d) cyclists in London in each year since 1997.

(87499)

574
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many boat licences were granted in each London borough in each year since 1997.

(87501)

575
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87637)

576
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many freight trains carrying (a) nuclear products and (b) hazardous material have travelled through (i) Brent and (ii) Brent East in each year since 1997.

(87715)

577
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many journeys were subject to delays on the North London Line in each year since 1997.

(87716)

578
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many freight journeys there were on the North London Line in each year since 1997.

(87720)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales

579
David Simpson (Upper Bann):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, on how many occasions he has stayed overnight in Wales on official business since his appointment.

(87323)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

580
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what was (a) the staffing bill and (b) the overtime bill for Jobcentre Plus in each year of its operation to date.

(87539)

581
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what monitoring he has undertaken of the Job Outcome Target; and if he will make a statement.

(87540)

582
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) progression rates into work of people with neurological conditions who have taken part in Pathways pilots and (b) progression rates into work of people with neurological conditions generally were in the last three years.

(87541)

583
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on the progression into work of people with neurological conditions and the progression into work of incapacity benefit claimants.

(87542)

584
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement about percentage rates of people with neurological conditions who had been claiming incapacity benefit for over 12 months when starting work-focused interviews, compared to other people claiming incapacity benefit for over 12 months.

(87543)

585
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) with and (b) without neurological conditions were participating in work-related activities and work-based adult learning and job brokering programmes on the Pathways scheme in the last three years.

(87544)

586
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what proportion of Child Support Agency cases non-resident parents who owe maintenance have (a) made no payments in the last six months; and (b) never made any payments.

(87545)

587
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what proportion of Child Support Agency cases (a) the non-resident parent is not paying maintenance and has no know current address and (b) a maintenance decision has not been made as the non-resident has not been traced.

(87546)

588
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which benefits are subject to a means test; and which were so subject in (a) January 1997 and (b) July 1997.

(87317)

589
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people he estimates are not claiming benefits to which they are entitled, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) region; what his estimate is of the total sum involved; and what steps he is taking to reduce that number.

(87318)

590
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people he estimates are claiming benefits to which they are not entitled, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) region; what his estimate is of the total sum involved; and what steps he is taking to reduce that number.

(87319)

591
Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) minimum and (b) maximum number of pages of the council tax benefit form a person is required to complete to claim the benefit.

(87154)

592
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will alter the guidance in his Department's booklet, A guide to volunteering while on benefits to allow volunteers in receipt of income support or Jobseeker's Allowance to claim lunch expenses as a legitimate expense.

(87389)

593
Jeff Ennis (Barnsley East & Mexborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster receive 100 per cent. council tax benefit.

(87585)

594
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on crisis loans for people in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(87117)

595
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many medical assessment reports were assessed as substandard in relation to the administration of (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance in the last period for which figures are available.

(87247)

596
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of children in (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area have been lifted out of poverty since 1997.

(87365)

597
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of pensioners in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area have been lifted out of poverty since 1997.

(87366)

598
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of pensioners in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area have received the £200 payment to assist with council tax in 2005-06.

(87367)

599
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area have received the winter allowance for pensioners in each year since it was introduced.

(87368)

600
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of people in the (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and (b) Sunderland City Council area were unemployed in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of change in the total amount paid in benefits due to the change in employment levels over the period.

(87370)

601
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether employers have the right to reduce the amount of attachment of earnings maintenance payment made by employees instructed to do so by the Child Support Agency.

(87412)

602
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners claimed winter fuel allowance in each London borough in the last 12 months.

(87502)

603
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

(87639)

604
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost of extending the Winter Fuel Payment Scheme to disabled people under 60 years.

(87678)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

605
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, to which countries the UK has exported nuclear-related equipment since 1998.

[Transferred] (87575)

606
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many underage pregnancies there were in each London borough in each year since 1997.

[Transferred] (87507)

607
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the life expectancy is in each London borough, broken down by (a) sex and (b) ethnicity.

[Transferred] (87508)

608
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were diagnosed with skin cancer in (a) Brent and (b) London in each year since 1997.

[Transferred] (87663)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

609
Mr David Amess (Southend West):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many non-departmental public bodies have been abolished since December 2005; and what estimate she has made of the consequent effect on public funds.

[Transferred] (87110)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

610
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library copies of the Valuation Office Agency's council tax people's panel reports and summaries from the last 24 months.

[Transferred] (87348)

Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs

611
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many successful appeals against decisions to grant (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance as a result of (i) mistakes in interpreting medical evidence and (ii) unusable medical assessment forms there were in the last period for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (87248)

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

612
N Mr David S. Borrow (South Ribble):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department gives farmers to manage land in ways that promote greater biodiversity.

[Question Unstarred] (86614)

613
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many noise-related complaints have been lodged in each London borough in each of the last five years; and how many of these resulted in further action.

[Transferred] (87304)

614
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department has done to ensure that people who put down animals without a licence dispose of the dead animals appropriately; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred] (87510)

615
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with greyhound racing authorities in order to ensure all retiring greyhounds are properly cared for; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred] (87512)

616
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what health risks are associated with the burial of dead greyhounds; and if he will make a statement.

[Transferred] (87514)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

617
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when his Department expects the next revision to the youth rate of the national minimum wage; what representations he has received on this matter; and what plans he has to make representations on this matter.

[Transferred] (87126)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

618
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many motorists killed in road accidents in each of the last five years had traces of illegal drugs in their bodies.

[Transferred] (87485)

619
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many offences were committed on London Transport in each year since 1997.

[Transferred] (87709)

620
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) assaults and (b) robberies there were on the North London Line in each year since 1997.

[Transferred] (87719)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

621
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of families with three or more children were living in poverty in each county in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

[Transferred] (87736)

© Parliamentary copyright 2006
Revised 20 July 2006