Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
Publications on the internet
The Questions Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 27 November 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 Monday 27 November 2006
(the 'Questions Book')

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 27 November 2006

This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Monday 27 November of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

For other Written Questions for answer on Monday 27 November of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper.

For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Monday 27 November see Part 2 of this paper.

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

1
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104471)

2
John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Parliamentary Business Unit of the Tax Credit Office will reply to the facsimile of 27th September 2006 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West in relation to a constituent, Ms Cathie Maison.

(104153)

3
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for the UK's contribution to the Global Fund; and if he will make a statement.

(106049)

4
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with his counterparts on the International Monetary Fund's Monetary and Finance Committee on ways in which developing country governments can more effectively utilise flows of foreign aid to accelerate their response to AIDS without compromising economic growth; and if he will make a statement.

(106050)

5
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to meet the shortfall within the Global Fund; and if he will make a statement.

(106051)

6
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with other donors to the Global Fund on ensuring that at least one round of replenishment occurs each year.

(106052)

7
N Mr Stephen Byers (North Tyneside):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the workforce was working (a) fewer than 16, (b) 16 to 20, (c) 21 to 25, (d) 26 to 30, (e) 31 to 35, (f) 36 to 40 and (g) in excess of 41 hours per week in each year since 1997.

(103255)

8
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many premium bonds were (a) bought, (b) held and (c) cashed in in each year since 1997.

(103948)

9
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government's position is on the distribution of orphan assets in the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

(105958)

10
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what take-up there has been of the childcare element of working tax credit, broken down by local authority area.

(106160)

11
N Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether decisions may be taken on the future of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) offices before the end of the consultation process announced by the Acting Chairman of HMRC.

(103695)

12
N Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff will be kept appraised of progress in the consultation process on the closure of rural HMRC offices.

(103696)

13
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the threshold for inheritance tax was in each of the last 10 financial years.

(103758)

14
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax was collected via the gross profits tax on gambling in each of the last five financial years; and if he will make a statement.

(103761)

15
Mr Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the minutes of the last meeting of the High-Level Group on Financial Services.

(103874)

16
Mr Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who the members are of (a) the High-Level Group on Financial Services and (b) each of its sub-committees.

(103875)

17
Mr Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the next meeting of the High- Level Group on Financial Services is planned to take place.

(103876)

18
N Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will bring forward legislation to ensure that the UK payments system is open to new competition as announced in his Budget Statement on 21st March 2000.

(103420)

19
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) the UK Debt Management Office and (c) the Crown Estate recognise the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104279)

20
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what revenue his Department received from death duties in each year since May 1997; how many estates were taxed in each year; and what average amount of tax was charged to an estate in each year.

(104501)

21
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what correspondence he has had with (a) the European Commission, (b) the French government and (c) the International Olympic Committee on the non-application of VAT to Olympic projects; and if he will make a statement on the mechanisms by which such VAT can be disapplied.

(104505)

22
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funds donated to political parties are tax-deductable.

(104510)

23
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants have been made redundant since the submission of the Gershon review; and what the total cost was of the redundancies.

(104511)

24
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes have occurred to (a) the number of civil servants employed and (b) the number of external consultants employed since the publication of the Gershon Review.

(104513)

25
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many counterfeit (a) sterling notes and (b) euros have been seized (i) in the UK and (ii) elsewhere since January 2002; what (A) denomination and (B) sum value they were; and what their provenance was.

(104514)

26
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(104578)

27
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106149)

28
Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in each ward in Warrington North are in receipt of working tax credit; and what the average award is.

(105781)

29
Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent on working tax credit for families in Warrington North in each year since its introduction.

(105782)

30
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many written parliamentary questions his Department received in each parliamentary session since 2001; how many were not answered because of disproportionate costs; how many answers referred back to a previous answer (a) asked by the same hon. Member and (b) asked by another hon. Member; and how many were not substantively answered in each session.

(103974)

31
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what target his Department has for the maximum acceptable amount of time to answer written parliamentary questions; and what percentage of parliamentary answers met that target in each parliamentary session since 2001.

(103975)

32
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many written parliamentary questions to his Department were grouped together for answer in each parliamentary session since 2001.

(103976)

33
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many written parliamentary questions each Minister in his Department has answered in each parliamentary session since 2001; and how many were answered (a) within seven days, (b) within 14 days, (c) within 28 days and (d) after 28 days, broken down by Minister.

(103977)

34
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many excess winter deaths there were in each Government Office region in each year since 1997.

(103978)

35
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's mechanism is for recording policy instructions given by Ministers to civil servants.

(103979)

36
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people made voluntary national insurance contributions in each year for which records are available; and what the total value was of such contributions in each year for which records are available.

(103982)

37
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what communications his Department made with the public regarding voluntary national insurance contributions in each year for which records are available; and if he will place a copy of each such communication in the Library.

(103983)

38
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many compensation payments for maladministration and poor service were made by the tax credits section of his Department in each month from May 2006 to October 2006; what the total value of such payments was in each quarter since 1st April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(103991)

39
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many single parents there were in each quarter from 2000-01 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

(104254)

40
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit verification checks are in operation.

(104456)

41
Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what services he expects to be provided to members of the public by HM Revenue and Customs' proposed basic face-to-face presence in individual locations.

(103726)

42
Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of staff which will need to be retained at the Aylesbury office of HM Revenue and Customs to ensure an adequate face-to-face service for the public.

(103727)

43
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last visited a tax credit (a) contact centre, (b) office and (c) IT development office.

(104246)

44
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the frequency of (a) administrative and (b) data handling and input errors in the tax credits computer system; and if he will make a statement.

(105799)

45
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104175)

46
Mr George Mudie (Leeds East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what dates his (a) Ministers and (b) officials have held meetings with NASDAQ in the last 12 months.

(105893)

47
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the net gains and losses in Civil Service jobs under the Government efficiency agenda are in each English region; and what percentage of the number of civil servant jobs in each region each figure represents.

(105934)

48
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax liability assessments are made in respect of (a) people and (b) companies who buy and sell goods over the internet; what guidelines are in place on the level of trading which would constitute doing business; and if he will make a statement.

(103271)

49
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the merits of abolishing VAT on fruit juices; and if he will make a statement.

(103274)

50
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the future of alternative secured pensions.

(104284)

51
Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the take-up is of child trust funds in Oxford.

(103962)

52
Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many familes are in receipt of working families tax credit in the Eyres Monsell ward of Leicester.

(104256)

53
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department made to the Department for Communities and Local Government prior to the recent decision to make home condition reports voluntary.

(103909)

54
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to review its procedures on the secondary use of personal information held for the collection and administration of council tax.

(103910)

55
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library copies of the presentation and handouts produced by the Valuation Office Agency at the International Property Tax Institute Conference in Kuala Lumpur on 23rd August.

(103911)

56
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the proposed Planning Gain Supplement will be introduced as (a) a variable levy on development value and (b) a flat-rate roof tax.

(103922)

57
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what purpose the Office for National Statistics is planning to include questions on household income in the next census.

(104072)

58
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the proportion of landfill tax revenue that comes from (a) local authorities and (b) their agents.

(104078)

59
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's Council Tax Application manual.

(104079)

60
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent on purchasing Mosaic UK data from Experian and the associated computer systems for its use.

(104080)

61
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to Mosaic data from Experian.

(104081)

62
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average number of (a) residents and (b) households is in census output areas in England.

(104082)

63
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what remuneration Sir Michael Lyons received for chairing the review of the location of public sector departments.

(104095)

64
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what external consultancies the Valuation Office Agency has commissioned (a) to conduct research and (b) to provide advice in relation to council tax valuations or revaluations since 2000.

(104098)

65
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what foreign visits have been undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency staff on official business in the last 12 months.

(104099)

66
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings Treasury ministers have had with Sir Michael Lyons in the last 12 months.

(104100)

67
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recommendations the Treasury's review of land use planning by Kate Barker has made on amending planning regulations on out-of-town retail development.

(104101)

68
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of sending Valuation Office Agency representatives to the International Property Tax Institute Conference in Kuala Lumpur in August.

(104102)

69
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the job title is of each member of the Valuation Office Agency.

(104103)

70
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Valuation Office Agency's assessment was of the rateable value of the Ripley Building in Whitehall in the last business rates evaluation.

(104308)

71
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HM Treasury will make an Order under section 25 of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 for the accounts of the Regional Chambers to be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

(104309)

72
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes have been made to the Office of National Statistics' estimates of the absolute level of anticipated yearly net inward migration into (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997.

(104310)

73
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library copies of the in-house staff magazine of the Valuation Office Agency from the last 12 months.

(104314)

74
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentations to the July 2006 Commonwealth Heads of Valuation Agencies Conference made by the Valuation Office Agency representatives.

(104316)

75
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the rate of landfill tax was in each year since 1997; what the landfill tax take was in each year; and what estimate he has made of revenue in the next two financial years.

(104317)

76
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Census output areas there are in England.

(104318)

77
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Valuation Office Agency has spent on its computer assisted mass appraisal system.

(104319)

78
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104441)

79
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of people participating in pre-tax salary childcare voucher schemes were in (a) starting, (b) basic and (c) upper rate tax brackets in each year since the schemes were introduced.

(104415)

80
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been participating in a pre-tax salary childcare voucher scheme in each year since the schemes began.

(104416)

81
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer in reduced tax revenue of participation in pre-tax salary childcare voucher schemes in each year since the schemes were introduced.

(104426)

82
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) amount of unsecured personal debt, (b) average amount of unsecured personal debt and (c) average household disposable income was in each Government Office region in each year since 1997.

(105805)

83
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of refunding those who have made voluntary national insurance contributions and who will have accrued the maximum pension benefit that they can if the White Paper proposals are implemented.

(103797)

84
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communication officers, (c) press officers and (d) promotional officers are employed in his Department; and what estimate he has made of total expenditure on communications for the Department on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104221)

85
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the closure of local tax offices.

(105937)

86
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the rate of VAT paid in respect of building improvements for properties in conservation areas.

(104143)

87
Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total inheritance tax revenue from UK non-residents was in the last financial year for which figures are available.

(105979)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

88
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106159)

89
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104164)

90
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether she will be attending the Regeneration and Housing Conference at the University of Bedfordshire at Putteridge Bury on 11th December in a ministerial capacity.

(103131)

91
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what projects run by the consultancy Eunomia the Cabinet Office has funded in each of the last five years; and what the (a) cost and (b) objective was of each project.

(104219)

92
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether the Muslim Youth Helpline and Timebank application for a grant from the Office of the Third Sector's Volunteering for All programme was successful in obtaining public funding.

(104338)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

93
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104464)

94
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what percentage of requests to increase rent was granted in rent assessment committees in each of the last five years for which records are available.

(103955)

95
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in what percentage of cases heard before a rent assessment committee the rent (a) stayed the same and (b) decreased in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(103956)

96
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average percentage change in rents assessed by rent assessment committees was in each of the last five years for which records are available.

(103957)

97
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary fires there have been in each fire authority area since 1986, broken down by region.

(105901)

98
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were killed by (a) arson and (b) suspected arson in each year since 1997.

(105902)

99
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff are to be removed from the establishment of divisions forming the Fire and Resilience Directorate of her Department in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; and what percentage of total employees per division these figures represent.

(105903)

100
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research her Department has carried out into the resource implications of climate change for fire and rescue services.

(105904)

101
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many grassland and heathland fires there were in each year since 1986, in each (a) fire authority and (b) region.

(105905)

102
Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent representations she has received on Planning Policy Guidance 3.

(105895)

103
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Charity Commission for England and Wales recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104282)

104
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department spent on regeneration projects in Liverpool in each year since 1997; which projects received more than £5 million; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of each project; and what funding she has allocated for future regeneration projects in Liverpool.

(104402)

105
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) powers and (b) duties local authorities have to control urban taxes.

(106033)

106
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which public appointments have been made by her Department and its predecessor to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105761)

107
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106147)

108
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is the policy of the Department's inspectors to write planning policies requiring on-site renewable energy targets into Local Development Frameworks.

(104152)

109
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the extent to which planning inspectors are applying (a) PPS22 and (b) the requirement for on-site renewable energy in new developments.

(104203)

110
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures her Department is taking to ensure the effective implementation of the mandatory licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation.

(105868)

111
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authority representatives on implementation of the licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation.

(105869)

112
Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many applications for houses in multiple occupation licences have been received in each local authority since April 2006; and how many licences have been issued in each case.

(105870)

113
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have taken contribution holidays from the local government pension scheme in each of the last 10 years.

(103917)

114
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was saved by each local authority taking a contributions holiday from the local government pension scheme in each of the last 10 years.

(104417)

115
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how the funds allocated to the Sure Start project on Hyde Road, Manchester have been spent.

(104065)

116
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what effect on subsequent local government financial settlements the rejection of unitary authority status in referendum will have in the area concerned.

(105922)

117
N John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) wholetime firefighters and (b) retained firefighters were employed on 11th September (i) 2001 and (ii) in each subsequent year, broken down by fire authority area.

[R] (103280)

118
N John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many persons were rescued alive from fires in dwellings by the fire service in each year since 1994.

[R] (103281)

119
N John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) aircraft accidents were attended by the fire service and (b) people were rescued alive from aircraft accidents by the fire service in each year since 1994.

[R] (103282)

120
N John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) railway accidents were attended by the fire service and (b) people were rescued alive from railway accidents by the fire service in each year since 1994.

[R] (103283)

121
N John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many lift rescues were carried out by the fire service in each year since 1994.

[R] (103284)

122
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to monitor the (a) effectiveness and (b) efficiency of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

(105880)

123
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with whom within the Fire and Resilience Directorate responsibility for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will lie.

(105881)

124
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what planning policy guidance her Department has issued which is applicable to wharves; and if she will make a statement.

(105802)

125
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104167)

126
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times parish polls have been held under the Local Government Act 1972 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(105924)

127
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what referendums have been held for elected mayors since the relevant provisions of the Local Government Act 2000 came into force; what the percentage turnout of the electorate was in each case; and what the percentage of those (a) in favour and (b) against a mayoral election was in each case.

(105953)

128
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions local referendums have been held since the relevant provisions of the Local Government Act 2003 came into force.

(105954)

129
N Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to attend the Regeneration and Housing Conference at the University of Bedfordshire at Putteridge Bury on 11th December in a ministerial capacity.

(103130)

130
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many completed sales through (a) shared ownership and (b) key worker schemes were funded by (i) the Government and (ii) the Housing Corporation in each year from 1991-92 to 1996-97.

(103824)

131
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will list the job titles of each staff position in her Department.

(103825)

132
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to publish council tax valuation schemes on the internet.

(103826)

133
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance on working time regulations and firefighters.

(103827)

134
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the 1996 Welsh Planning Policy Guidance 3 guidance.

(103828)

135
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the Sexual Orientation Regulations in draft before they are presented to the House for ratification.

(103829)

136
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much (a) her Department and (b) its agencies paid to the Eunomia consultancy in the most recent year for which figures are available; and for what services the money was due.

(103830)

137
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total Government grant per capita was to each local authority in England, including fire and police authorities, in 2006-07.

(103831)

138
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of empty public sector (a) residential properties and (b) commercial and industrial properties in each Government office region in England in April.

(103832)

139
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library copies of the in-house staff magazine of her Department for the last 12 months.

(103833)

140
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether there is a council tax exemption for homes empty due to the death of the owner.

(103834)

141
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of voluntary home condition reports that will be purchased in each year from June 2007.

(103835)

142
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in which location the trials of energy performance certificates are taking place in November.

(103836)

143
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the Government's (a) amendment and (b) ratification of each Regional Spatial Strategy.

(103837)

144
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on the services of the consultants McKinsey & Co in each year since 2002; and on which projects the consultancy was engaged.

(103838)

145
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether (a) local authorities with housing stock and (b) housing associations will be compensated under her Department's New Burdens Principle for the requirement by 2009 to pay for energy performance certificates before they can let a domestic property.

(103839)

146
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what payment her Department plans to make to the Cabinet Office for her Department's use of the Ripley Building in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.

(103840)

147
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information an Energy Performance Certificate will contain.

(103841)

148
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which external consultancy (a) firms and (b) organisations her Department has commissioned (i) to conduct research and (ii) to provide advice in relation to (A) council tax and (B) home information packs since 2002.

(103842)

149
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's expected expenditure is on the November 2006 trials of energy performance certificates.

(103843)

150
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of domestic properties in England with dwellinghouse data are classified by the Valuation Office Agency with a dwellinghouse code of (a) Heating Y and (b) Heating N.

(103844)

151
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many domestic properties in England are classified by the Valuation Office Agency with a dwellinghouse code of FC.

(103845)

152
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what expenditure her Department has made on pump-priming funding for home information packs.

(103846)

153
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on (a) administration, (b) legal fees, (c) special advisers, (d) the website and (e) other costs for the home information packs programme; and what funding was originally allocated to the programme.

(103847)

154
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) data and (b) range of data is held on (i) the Full National Land Use Database (NLUD-Baseline) and (ii) the Generalised Land Use Database.

(103848)

155
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to make the public aware of the right to make Public Requests Ordering Disposal under Section 98 of the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980.

(103849)

156
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether councils are allowed to use (a) the full electoral register and (b) council tax records to identify potential homes for empty dwelling management orders.

(103850)

157
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints have been upheld by the Adjudication Panel after being referred by the Standards Board in each year since 2001.

(103851)

158
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what incentives the Government (a) has in place and (b) is planning to support (i) small and (ii) specialised businesses to remain open in town centres.

(103852)

159
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on external (a) communications, (b) branding and (c) marketing advice for the Thames Gateway project.

(103854)

160
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library copies of the research reports (a) Perceptions of Privacy and Density in Housing and (b) Valuing the Benefits of Undeveloped Land commissioned by her Department.

(103855)

161
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints against elected members of (a) local authorities and (b) parish councils in each year between 2001 and 2006 are outstanding at the Adjudication Panel following referral by the Standards Board.

(103856)

162
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints against elected members of (a) local authorities and (b) parish councils referred to the Adjudication Panel by the Standards Board concerned the failure to declare a (i) non-financial interest and (ii) personal interest in each year since its creation.

(103857)

163
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints against elected members of (a) local authorities and (b) parish councils referred to the Adjudication Panel by the Standards Board have taken longer than 12 months to reach a decision in each year since its creation.

(103858)

164
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations her Department has received advocating the introduction of variable rate charging for domestic rubbish.

(103859)

165
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the implementation of the National Land Use Database.

(103860)

166
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what changes to the number of new homes to be constructed in the Thames Gateway area (a) the Government, (b) its agencies and (c) the Government Offices for the Regions have (i) suggested and (ii) approved.

(103861)

167
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations she has received from the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors on home information packs since her decision to make home condition reports voluntary.

(103862)

168
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the contract between the Valuation Office Agency and Cole Layer Trumble.

(103863)

169
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the (a) publication and (b) Parliamentary ratification of the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

(103870)

170
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the purpose was of the consultancy contracts held by her Department with (a) PA Consulting Group and (b) Xansa UK Ltd in relation to home information packs.

(103881)

171
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many areas where home information packs area trials are taking place have (a) Conservative-controlled local authorities and (b) Conservative Members of Parliament.

(103882)

172
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to ensure that home information dry run is audited by an organisation independent of the Government and the home information pack industry.

(103883)

173
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total expected public expenditure is on payments to (a) PA Consulting Group and (b) Xansa UK Ltd in relation to home information packs.

(103884)

174
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in what ways a home seller will be requested to update an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) if material changes are made to a property after an original EPC is produced.

(103885)

175
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether her Department defines Section 106 agreements as a tax.

(103886)

176
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the estimated average total cost including VAT is of a Home Information Pack (a) without a home condition report and (b) including an Energy Performing Certificate from June 2007.

(103887)

177
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what use the Valuation Office Agency makes of the techniques of (a) variography and (b) similarity matrices for valuation purposes.

(103888)

178
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) property, (b) geo-spatial and (c) geo-demographic attributes are covered by the Valuation Office Agency's dwelling house code of (i) WK: Other building/feature and (ii) EF: Functional/economic factor.

(103889)

179
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will exempt members of the armed forces serving overseas on military operations from council tax.

(103890)

180
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which non-local authority employers are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

(103891)

181
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which organisations will audit the dry run of home information packs.

(103892)

182
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department spent on sending officials to attend the local e-democracy conference on the internet and democracy in Budapest in July.

(103893)

183
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have exercised their powers under the Local Government Act 2003 to hold a local referendum.

(103894)

184
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to what Parliamentary procedure the Sexual Orientation Regulations will be subject.

(103895)

185
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department spent on (a) external room hire and (b) conference exhibition stands in the last year for which figures are available.

(103896)

186
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what date Sir Michael Lyons is contractually obliged to deliver his report on local government finance to the Government.

(103897)

187
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff have been employed by her Department in each year since 2002.

(103898)

188
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what obligations local authorities have to fund a liability or shortfall from non-local authority members of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

(103899)

189
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have introduced local council tax discounts under the Local Government Act 2003; and what the (a) level and (b) nature of the discount was in the most recent year for which information is available.

(103900)

190
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much income the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre received from bookings from central Government departments in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(103901)

191
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a full copy of the Central Office for Information Strategic Consultancy report on the impact of home information packs.

(103902)

192
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria are used to award performance-related bonuses in her Department.

(103903)

193
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether a referendum is required (a) to ratify and (b) to approve a move to unitary local government from a two-tier structure.

(103904)

194
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) her staff have met to discuss local government restructuring since 1st July 2006.

(103921)

195
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff members in her Department were authorised to travel abroad on official business in the last financial year for which figures are available.

(103923)

196
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the survey undertaken by HM Treasury and her Department as part of the Lyons Inquiry.

(103925)

197
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentations and handouts provided at the meeting on data-sharing held at her Department on 31st October.

(103927)

198
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which properties were involved in the 14 cases of public request to order disposal since 1997.

(103928)

199
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many dwellings in England have value significant code data for each of the value significant codes.

(103929)

200
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have set up a young people's fund for amenities and activities run by young people since 2005; and what the value is of each of these funds.

(103930)

201
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total floor space is of each of the buildings occupied (a) in whole and (b) in part by her Department.

(103931)

202
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) purpose and (b) budget is of the national geospatial metadata service.

(103932)

203
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what cost was incurred by the Deputy Prime Minister's (a) private office and (b) ministerial private office for taxi fares in 2005-06.

(103933)

204
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which of the databases owned by her Department are managed (a) internally and (b) by external consultants.

(103934)

205
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how the Valuation Office Agency gathers data for the property attribute of number of bathrooms to use in its multiple regression analysis within its computer assisted mass appraisal system.

(103935)

206
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost to her Department was of (a) telephone calls and (b) official entertaining at the Deputy Prime Minister's official residence in 2005-06.

(103936)

207
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance she has issued to her civil servants and other officials carrying out departmental business on the permissibility of covering their faces when meeting members of the public.

(103938)

208
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what foreign visits have been undertaken by departmental staff on official business since 7th July 2006.

(103939)

209
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff in her Department received a performance-related bonus in 2006-07.

(103940)

210
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) marketing, (b) information, (c) communications, (d) public affairs and (e) public relations staff the (i) Standards Board of England and (ii) Adjudication Panel employs.

(103941)

211
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate has she made of the (a) highest, (b) lowest, (c) median and (d) mean fees to be charged by local authorities to landlords as part of the new licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation.

(103942)

212
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which minister in her Department took the decision to cancel the Sustainable Communities Summit 2007.

(103943)

213
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the parish councils proposed for London will be able to levy a parish precept on council tax.

(103944)

214
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the latest (a) rateable value and (b) business rates bill is of each of the buildings occupied (a) in whole and (b) in part by her Department.

(103945)

215
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to facilitate data-sharing of council tax information (a) within departments of local authorities and (b) between local authorities and other public sector bodies.

(103946)

216
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many copies of the October 2006 Local Government White Paper have been sold at the full market rate.

(103947)

217
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department and its predecessor spent on taxis in each year from 2002-03 to 2004-05.

(103964)

218
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether (a) energy condition reports outside a home condition report and (b) voluntary home condition reports are being piloted in the Home Information Pack dry run.

(103965)

219
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of publicly funded buildings likely to be built in the next 12 months that will incorporate (a) solar photovoltaics and (b) other small renewable energy systems.

(103966)

220
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what costs were incurred from the change of the name of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to the Department of Communities and Local Government, broken down by cost area.

(103967)

221
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Freedom of Information Act requests received by her Department in the last 12 months were cleared by special advisers.

(103968)

222
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether her Department (a) uses an internal traffic light or coloured-coded system when considering written parliamentary questions and (b) grades or classifies written parliamentary questions according to their political sensitivity or potential for embarrassing replies for the Government.

(103969)

223
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will make the Bellwin scheme of emergency financial assistance to local authorities applicable to terrorist incidents.

(103970)

224
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of green belt land had green belt designation removed in each year since 1997-98.

(103971)

225
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's latest estimates are of (a) net migration and (b) household growth in each Government Office region in England in each of the next 20 years.

(103972)

226
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total expenditure of the Government Office for London was in each year since 1996-97; and what the forecast figures are for (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.

(104024)

227
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many home inspectors are undertaking training at each assessment centre; and what the contact details of each assessment centre are.

(104025)

228
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total estimated cost of home information packs is (a) before and (b) after VAT.

(104026)

229
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints have been received by the Standards Board in each year since 2001.

(104027)

230
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) destination and (b) purpose was of each overseas visit undertaken by staff in her Department in the last 12 months.

(104029)

231
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether (a) access to on-street parking spaces and (b) the number of (i) garage spaces and (ii) off-street parking spaces are (A) value significant and (B) dwellinghouse code property attributes in the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model.

(104030)

232
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the Valuation Office Agency has paid to (a) Cole Layer Trumble and (b) Tyler Technologies to date; and what the expected expenditure to each is for the remainder of 2006-07.

(104031)

233
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which outcome-based indicators the Local Government White Paper proposes to abolish.

(104032)

234
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many complaints have been referred to the Adjudication Panel by the Standards Board in each year since its creation.

(104033)

235
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the National Land Use Database typology of land or buildings currently in use where it is known there is a potential for redevelopment (but the sites do not have any plan allocation or planning permission) includes (a) gardens and (b) open spaces surrounding existing residential properties.

(104034)

236
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effect of council tax increases since 1997 on pensioners.

(104035)

237
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) homes and (b) non-domestic buildings were built on Green Belt land in each year since 1997-98.

(104036)

238
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many domestic properties in England are recorded by the Valuation Office Agency as at a band-margin value.

(104037)

239
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in which private finance initiative schemes, other than housing PFI, local authorities participate; and what approval is required from central Government for them to do so.

(104038)

240
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the (a) merits and (b) enforceability of covenants on new homes banning cats and dogs as pets in special protection areas.

(104039)

241
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the initial draft numeric value was of the coefficient applied to the variable for a DC dwellinghouse code by the Valuation Office Agency before the council tax revaluation in England was postponed.

(104040)

242
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many copies of the October 2006 Local Government White Paper were printed; and at what cost.

(104041)

243
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the causes of the closures of public lavatories by local authorities.

(104042)

244
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total expenditure was of each of the Government Office for the Regions in the last year for which figures are available.

(104043)

245
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many staff in the ministerial office of the Deputy Prime Minister received a performance-related bonus in 2005-06.

(104044)

246
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average parish precept levied on an average Band D council tax bill in a parished area is in England in 2006-07.

(104045)

247
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which council has the highest parish precept on Band D council tax in England in 2006-07; and what the level of the precept is.

(104046)

248
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which projects (a) her Department has commissioned and (b) the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned by the consultancy Ecotec; and what the (i) cost and (ii) purpose was of each.

(104047)

249
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) reduced cost and (b) free packs are being provided as part of the Home Information Pack dry run.

(104048)

250
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether (a) Cole Layer Trumble and (b) Tyler Technologies are providing assistance to the Valuation Office Agency with Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal databases.

(104049)

251
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what changes Planning Policy Statement Three proposes in relation to development on (a) previously residential and (b) garden land.

(104050)

252
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost was of the visits abroad by staff in her Department in the last 12 months.

(104051)

253
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister accompanied the Deputy Prime Minister's visit to the Canary Wharf offices of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) on 17th August 2005; and whether minutes were taken of the meeting's discussion.

(104052)

254
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent representations her Department has received advocating a new local tax on hotel accommodation.

(104053)

255
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether a full council is required to ratify the decision of a local authority to bid for unitary status under the Local Government White paper proposals.

(104054)

256
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent staff work in her Department's International Planning Division.

(104055)

257
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent by her Department on maintaining each of its websites in 2005-06; and how many visits each website received during this period.

(104056)

258
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of each edition of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's International Planning Newsletter.

(104057)

259
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when her Department plans to publish (a) a Regulatory Impact Assessment and (b) a consultation paper on the implementation of EU Directive 2002/91/EC.

(104058)

260
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what changes were made to the definition of previously-developed land in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001.

(104059)

261
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what public opinion surveys her Department has commissioned since its creation.

(104060)

262
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason her Department has decided to re-brand the Thames Gateway as Thames Estuary Parklands.

(104061)

263
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) average percentage rise and (b) cash rise was in average Band D outturn council tax bills from 2005-06 to 2006-07 in parished areas in England.

(104062)

264
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by her Department since its creation; and what the expected costs are for 2006-07.

(104063)

265
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which (a) public relations and (b) marketing firms have been hired by her Department and its predecessor since 2002; what the total expenditure was on each firm; and for what purpose each agency was hired.

(104064)

266
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether larger homes will be charged more for an energy performance certificate.

(104084)

267
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether trade waste recycled by local authorities counts towards Best Value Performance Indicator targets for municipal recycling.

(104085)

268
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to encourage the development of more family homes rather than flats.

(104086)

269
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many domestic properties in England are classified by the Valuation Office Agency with a dwellinghouse code of (a) Conservatory Type: D, (b) Conservatory Type: S, (c) Conservatory Type: G and (d) Conservatory Type: U.

(104087)

270
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether double glazing is a (a) value significant and (b) dwelling house code property attribute in the Value Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model.

(104088)

271
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the estimated cost to employers of the Local Government Pension Scheme was in each financial year from 1996-97 to 2007-08, in actual terms and excluding the 20 per cent. of costs which relate to non-local authority employers.

(104089)

272
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what meetings (a) she and (b) ministers in her Department have had with representatives of developers Westfield in the last 24 months.

(104091)

273
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what meetings her predecessor had with representatives of Westfield whilst Secretary of State responsible for planning policy.

(104092)

274
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the reasons were in each case where she has refused a Public Request Ordering Disposal since 1997.

(104093)

275
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on anger management classes in the last 24 months.

(104211)

276
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Association of Home Information Pack providers will receive any payment for participating in the pack dry run.

(104212)

277
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether stand-alone Automated Teller Machines are liable for business rates.

(104213)

278
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent staff from her Department provide assistance to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office.

(104214)

279
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what (a) incentives and (b) payments are being provided (i) directly and (ii) indirectly to home inspectors participating in the Home Information Pack dry run.

(104215)

280
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library the training material produced by the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) Training Development (Human Resources) section on Dwellinghouse Coding available on the VOA's intranet.

(104216)

281
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations she has received from the Environment Agency on decisions by the East of England Development Agency to propose development in flood risk areas.

(104323)

282
N Mr Gary Streeter (South West Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the long-term debt of Devon County Council was at the end of each financial year from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

(103391)

283
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when she expects to publish the revised Draft Code of Conduct for Councillors; and if she will make a statement.

(105926)

284
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent by her Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104443)

285
Mr Edward Vaizey (Wantage):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what percentage of homes sold in (a) Wantage constituency and (b) Oxfordshire in each year since 1997 were sold to first time buyers.

(105927)

286
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) dates and (b) locations have been of the meetings of the Muslim Forum Aganist Islamophobia and Extremism; and what the forward work plan is for this group.

(104326)

287
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance her Department provided for the drawing up of the Mosques Good Practice Guide; and where the guide has been distributed.

(104327)

288
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the initiative by Bradford Council of Mosques to develop and test educational materials to teach citizens in Madrasses; whether this project will be available across England; and what funding her Department provided to the project.

(104329)

289
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research projects involving Muslim communities have been taken forward as a result of recommendation 64 of the working document Preventing Extremism Together.

(104330)

290
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the membership is of the new Faith Communities Consultative Council set up in March 2006; how many times it has met; and what its forward work programme is.

(104331)

291
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the interim recommendations from the Faith Communities Consultative Council.

(104332)

292
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the development of Muslim beacon centres; and what funding her Department has allocated to these centres.

(104333)

293
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether her Department's plan of fit for purpose leadership and management development programme for Imams and other faith community leaders has been completed; when the plan is expected to be published; and what plans she has to implement the plan across England.

(104334)

294
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) remit and (b) membership is of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB); how many times the MINAB has met; and what recommendations have been made by the MINAB.

(104335)

295
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the creation of a manifesto for Muslim women as proposed in the working document Preventing Extremism Together.

(104339)

296
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) local authorities and (b) schools are participating in the Minority Ethnic Achievement Project; and what plans she has to expand the project.

(104340)

297
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times the working group set up to look at extremist activity on university campuses has met; where the group met; what the membership of the working group is; whether the recommendations of the working group will be published; how the recommendations will be disseminated through campuses in England and Wales; and which university campuses have been targeted by the group.

(104341)

298
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department provided to the Women's National Commission to carry out research on Muslim women's attitude to becoming more active in their communities; and when the report into this work will be published.

(104342)

299
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds have been allocated to the pilot project number 27 (subheading Women) in the working document Preventing Terrorism Together.

(104343)

300
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department has allocated in following up recommendations in the Preventing Extremism Together working document since August 2005; and what funds she expects to receive from other departments to support the working plan.

(104344)

301
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, further to the Preventing Extremism Together working plan, what funding each Department provided for The Radical Middle Way campaign; and how much was provided for the campaign's website.

(104347)

302
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to her Department's Preventing Extremism Together document, what the cost was of the visits by British Muslim delegations to promote a positive image of Britain's Muslim youth abroad; which Government departments contributed to the cost; what the size was of each delegation; where each delegation went; and what other visits are planned.

(104348)

303
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds her Department provided for the development of the (a) exhibition 1001 Inventions and (b) schools education pack accompanying the exhibition.

(104349)

304
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, where the 1001 Inventions exhibition toured; how long it spent in each location; and what the future itinerary is for the exhibition.

(104350)

305
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have been to see the 1001 Inventions exhibition.

(104351)

306
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds her Department has provided for the production of the Citizen's Rights and Responsibilities pocket guide for British Muslims.

(104352)

307
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds her Department has provided to the Muslim Women's Helpline; and how many calls this helpline has received since its establishment.

(104353)

308
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what percentage of the divisional manager level posts within her Department (a) have been filled and (b) are vacant.

(104418)

309
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the proposed staff structure of her Department; and when it will be fully implemented.

(104419)

310
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who her Department's Director General of Equalities is; and what the grade of the post is.

(104420)

311
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which publications ran advertisements for the position of Director General of Equalities; and what the cost of the advertisements was.

(104421)

312
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the forward work programme is for the (a) communities and equalities and (b) tackling disadvantage programme directives.

(104422)

313
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether her Department funds the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund.

(104427)

314
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has assisted in the development of an `Islam online' webiste.

(104430)

315
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Muslim Youth Handbook has been published and distributed.

(104431)

316
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to provide incentives for those trainee home inspectors who have yet to qualify.

(104227)

Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs

317
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104468)

318
N Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, which 10 barristers received the highest fees for civil work from the Community Legal Service in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what amount was received in each case.

(103392)

319
Mr Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if she will make a statement on the outcome of the recent meeting with Mr David Johnson, US Deputy Ambassador, concerning attendance of US service personnel at the inquests of British soldiers killed in friendly fire incidents in Iraq.

(103729)

320
Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the reintroduction of the means test in magistrates' courts on the criminal justice system.

(104388)

321
Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many occasions her Department has released information under a Freedom of Information request that was previously withheld when sought by parliamentary question for written answer.

(103819)

322
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of Hendon residents entitled to vote who do not appear on the electoral register; if she will take steps to improve registration in Hendon; and if she will make a statement.

(103764)

323
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, which public appointments have been made by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105759)

324
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106148)

325
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many magistrates serving in Warrington come from (a) Warrington North, (b) Warrington South constituency and (c) outside the Borough.

(103267)

326
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many criminal cases were brought in the Crown courts in each of the last five years.

(104480)

327
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the average length of a trial was in the High Court in the last five years.

(104507)

328
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104178)

329
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans (a) her Department and (b) the Information Commissioner has to review guidance on the secondary use of personal information held for the collection and administration of council tax.

(103912)

330
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if she will require personal identifiers to be provided for remote electronic voting, in addition to the Electoral Administration Act's legal requirement for them to be used for postal voting.

(104094)

331
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many appeals against dispersal orders there have been in each year since their introduction.

(106060)

332
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the largest amount paid has been in legal aid in respect of (a) an individual and (b) a group appealing against a dispersal order.

(106061)

333
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how much was spent by her Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104435)

334
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, when she expects the results of the consultation, HM Court Service London Region Proposals for Network of Family Courts Centres to be announced.

(105772)

335
Keith Vaz (Leicester East):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, which of those Departmental consultancy contracts referred to in her Answer of 6th November 2006, Official Report, column 850W, were approved by (a) the Lord Chancellor and (b) the Permanent Secretary.

(104389)

336
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in her Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for her Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104366)

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

337
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104463)

338
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) projects or organisations applied for a third consecutive lottery funding grant from the National Lottery Fund and (b) applications for third consecutive grants were granted in each of the last five years, in each local authority; and if she will make a statement.

(106045)

339
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received on the position of organisations which are refused renewals of funding grants for core activity from the National Lottery Fund; and if she will make a statement.

(106046)

340
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people in Northern Ireland were convicted of not having a valid television licence during the first three months of (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006.

(104018)

341
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many households in each constituency in Northern Ireland are in receipt of the free television licence for over 75s.

(104019)

342
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will require the Olympic procurement authorities to include requirements in their contracts for (a) the promotion of equal opportunities and (b) the use of local labour; and if she will make a statement.

(106164)

343
Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent meetings (a) she and (b) ministerial colleagues have had with organisations responsible for the 2012 Olympics.

(103809)

344
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her Written Ministerial Statement of 21st November 2006, Official Report, column 27WS, on Departmental Expenditure Limits and Administrative Costs Limits for 2006-07, how many flagpoles were purchased; where the flagpoles have been erected; and if she will make a statement.

(106109)

345
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which public appointments have been made by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105758)

346
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106158)

347
N Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Arts Council England on funding for local theatre in relation to the 2007 comprehensive spending review; and if she will make a statement.

(104155)

348
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104179)

349
Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many pensioner households in the wards of (a) Aylestone, (b) Castle, (c) Freemen,(d) Eyres Monsell, (e) Stoneygate, (f) Spinney Hills and (g) Knighton in Leicester have received a free television licence.

(104259)

350
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what liability the Greater London Authority (GLA) will have for higher than expected expenditure on the 2012 Olympics under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the GLA and the Government.

(104071)

351
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in which Government department the Government Art collection's copy of Julian Trevelyan's Bulldozer artwork is on display.

(104305)

352
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the estimated financial contribution towards the 2012 Olympics is on London council tax.

(104306)

353
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) funding and (b) support (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies is giving to assist the establishment of regional cultural observatories.

(104307)

354
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much was spent by her Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104444)

355
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department grades or classifies written Parliamentary Questions according to (a) political sensitivity and (b) potential for political embarrassment.

(104477)

356
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in her Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for her Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104365)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence

357
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104473)

358
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates Dr Paul Norman (a) started and (b) stopped working at Porton Down; and what the nature of his work was.

(103386)

359
Mr Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in respect of how many cases of deceased UK service personnel flown back from (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan to Scotland there have been fatal accident inquiries; and in how many cases such inquiries have not taken place.

(103731)

360
Mr Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make assistance available for Commonwealth citizens who have completed service with HM Forces to return to their home country.

(105943)

361
Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) total, (b) court and (c) inter-party costs were of litigation arising from cases involving Diana Elias; and how much (i) compensation and (ii) awards have been paid to Diana Elias.

(104479)

362
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of serving members of the Army who will be based in Northern Ireland by the end of 2007.

(102479)

363
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what items of weapon-related equipment for which his Department was responsible were stolen in the last 12 months.

(106062)

364
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases considered by the ex-gratia scheme for former civilian internees of the Japanese have been paid as a consequence of the change to the 20 year residency qualification; how many cases have been rejected on the grounds that the claimant (a) was not interned and (b) did not meet the revised criteria of 20 years; how many of those rejected because the claimant did not meet the revised criteria would have met the criteria if the period of overseas services was as a locally employed staff member was included; how many cases remain to be decided; what progress is being made in establishing the hardship fund; and if he will make a statement.

(104574)

365
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure that the families of territorial service men and women on active duty overseas have been notified of the Christmas parcels concessionary free post.

(103715)

366
N Mr Roger Gale (North Thanet):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to publish the eligibility criteria for the operational allowance.

(104014)

367
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trainers will deliver Phase 2 training; and what the trainer student ratio will be in (a) five years, (b) 10 years and (c) 15 years time.

(104539)

368
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on maintaining a UK force on the Falkland Islands in each of the last five years.

(104568)

369
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the UK's armed forces are on duty in Northern Ireland.

(105774)

370
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people (a) left and (b) were recruited to the Army in 2005-06.

(105820)

371
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of Phase 2 skills training for the armed forces is delivered by (a) serving military personnel, (b) ex-military personnel and (c) others.

(105821)

372
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military trainers for Phase 2 skills training for the armed forces are deployed in (a) Scotland, (b) South Wales, (c) West Midlands and (d) South East England.

(105897)

373
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current trainer to trainee ratios are for Phase 2 skills training for the armed forces.

(105898)

374
N Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Winter Supplementary Estimates 2006-07 (HC2), if he will break down the (a) current and (b) revised Request for Resources one, two and three provision for each subhead by (i) direct resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), (ii) indirect resource DEL and (iii) capital DEL.

(103389)

375
N Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) packages under 2kg, (b) packages over 2kg and (c) letters were sent to (i) Iraq, (ii) Afghanistan, (iii) Sierra Leone and (iv) the Balkans in each month during 2005-06 by the British Forces Post Office; and what the total postal charges were in each category of post type.

(103390)

376
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, why he intends to increase the number of Royal Fleet Reserve (marine officers and marines) that may be maintained for service; and if he will make a statement.

(105960)

377
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which operations outside Iraq and Afghanistan are included in the expenditure within subhead Request for Resources 2-C.

(105961)

378
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's estimate is for Direct Resource Expenditure in Request for Resources 2 in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2006-07 calculated on the same basis as table 1 of the memorandum sent to the Defence Select Committee on 6th March 2006.

(105962)

379
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's estimate is for Capital Expenditure in Request for Resources 2 in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2006-07 calculated on the same basis as table 2 of the memorandum sent to the Defence Select Committee on 6th March 2006.

(105963)

380
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, why he intends to increase non-operating appropriations in aid for subhead Request for Resources 1-J.

(105964)

381
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, why he intends to increase expenditure within Departmental Expenditure Limits for subheads (a) Request for Resources 1-F and (b) Request for Resources 1-J; and if he will make a statement.

(105965)

382
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, why he intends to reduce resource expenditure within Departmental Expenditure Limits for subheads: (a) Request for Resources 1-A; (b) Request for Resources 1-B; (c) Request for Resources 1-C; (d) Request for Resources 1-D; Request for Resources 1-E; (f) Request for Resources 1-G; (g) Request for Resources 1-H; (h) Request for Resources 1-I; Request for Resources 1-K; and (j) Request for Resources 1-L; and if he will make a statement.

(105966)

383
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average flying hours have been of pilots for each helicopter type in the Army Air Corps in each month in 2006.

(105967)

384
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average flying hours of pilots for the Royal Air Force (a) Hercules C-130, (b) VC-10, (c) C-17 Globemaster, (d) Tristar aircraft and (i) Chinook, (ii) Puma, (iii) Merlin and (iv) Sea King helicopters have been for each month in 2006.

(105968)

385
Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) average and (b) shortest time has been between the completion of training and deployment to Afghanistan of pilots from the (a) Army Air Corps and (b) Royal Air Force.

(105969)

386
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British (a) tanks and (b) armoured personnel vehicles are stationed in Germany; and what the cost of keeping the German-based fleet was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(103736)

387
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the deployments of three or more Challenger 2 tanks normally based in (a) Germany and (b) the UK in each of the last five years; and what the (i) deployment location and (ii) length of deployment was in each case.

(103737)

388
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of (a) training and equipping one infantryman in the army and (b) employing that infantryman for five years.

(103738)

389
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are based in (a) Germany and (b) Cyprus; and if his Department will estimate the annual cost of keeping the force in (i) Germany and (ii) Cyprus.

(103739)

390
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the deployments of armed forces units based in Germany over the last four years; what the name was of each unit deployed; and what the (a) size, (b) location and (c) length was of each deployment.

(103740)

391
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces families in (a) Germany and (b) Cyprus are waiting for family accommodation; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest wait is which has been experienced.

(103741)

392
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many married armed forces service personnel posted abroad with their families have been allocated single living accommodation on arrival in each of the last three years; and what the (a) average and (b) longest period of time is which servicemen or women have had to wait to be housed with their families.

(103742)

393
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many airbridge flights for forces personnel serving in Iraq were (a) cancelled, (b) delayed and (c) diverted with less than a days notice in 2005; and what the figures are for 2006.

(103743)

394
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the procedures are for assessing the cleanliness and habitability of armed forces personnel housing before a new tenant moves in; and how many complaints were lodged upon moving in about unclean or ill-equipped housing in each year since 2004.

(103744)

395
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports of boilers and heating systems breaking down in living accommodation for armed forces personnel there were in each of the last three years; and what the (a) average and (b) longest time taken to replace the boiler was in that period.

(103745)

396
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will estimate the financial cost to the UK of (a) procuring, deploying and operating Ground Based Interceptors from the US missile defence Ground based Midcourse Defence system and (b) developing, procuring, deploying and operating a missile for the Type-45 destroyers that has equivalent or similar anti ballistic missile capability to the US Standard Missile-3.

(103756)

397
N Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which organisation or department is responsible for the costs and duties involved with decommissioning Trident.

(103864)

398
N Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the decommissioning of Trident will be financed; and if he will make a statement.

(103865)

399
N Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how often (a) Devonport, (b) Rosyth, (c) Aldermaston, (d) Faslane and (e) each other site associated with Trident is decontaminated; what his most recent estimate is of the costs of decontamination for each site; and to which environmental standard decontamination cleans the site.

(103866)

400
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what deployments have been made of units stationed in Germany in each year since 2003; and what the size was of each such deployment.

(103905)

401
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected lifespan is of the guidance systems and flight control electronics of Trident D5 missiles.

(103906)

402
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will seek an assessment of whether war graves within the city of Derby are adequately maintained to provide a fitting environment in which to commemorate the deceased Royal Marine recently returned from Iraq.

(103907)

403
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance with applications to the Export Credits Guarantee Department is given to companies by the Defence Export Services Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

(104390)

404
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the process to select a successor to Alan Garwood as Head of the Defence Export Services has begun; and what the process will involve.

(104391)

405
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which data protection regulations prevent him from naming media recipients of the Iraq campaign medal.

(104502)

406
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what rules govern the determination of recipients of the award of a military campaign medal.

(104503)

407
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which war correspondents accredited by his Department and deployed to Iraq in March and April 2003 do not qualify for the Iraq campaign medal.

(104512)

408
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105770)

409
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106155)

410
Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the findings were of his investigation into allegations of torture conducted by a corporal in the Royal Highland Fusiliers at the Salt Lake outstation in Cyprus in January 2006; who conducted the investigation; and what the outcome was.

(104478)

411
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104170)

412
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel were referred to the Priory Clinic in each rank as (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients in each of the last 12 months.

[R] (104376)

413
N Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will establish a monitoring mechanism to reduce the risk of outsourcing of defence business to dominant private sector companies.

(101630)

414
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of British military personnel is garrisoned in Northern Ireland.

(106079)

415
N Hon Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will order a review of the way troops are deployed to and from theatre.

(103721)

416
N Hon Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Tri-service management of the movement of troops to and from theatre.

(103722)

417
N Hon Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what requests have been received at the Permanent Joint Headquarters since the beginning of the ISAF deployment in Afghanistan for (a) helicopters, (b) armoured vehicles and (c) additional forces; and what the response of (i) the commitment staff and (ii) Ministers has been.

(103723)

418
N Hon Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which service, and at what rank, is the single responsible officer for the movement of British Service and Government personnel to and from operational theatres.

(103724)

419
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any of the staff in his Department who are not serving members of the armed forces are classed as key workers for the purposes of the (a) low-cost home ownership and (b) shared ownership schemes.

(104313)

420
N Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will reply to the letter of 3rd October 2006 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the protection given to wounded British soldiers being treated at NHS hospitals (ref: MC05549/2006).

(103688)

421
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104364)

422
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which vehicles were purchased to replace the 14 Mamba vehicles referred to in his Answer of 8th November 2006 to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South on armoured personnel carriers.

(104482)

423
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited to the Regular Army in each of the last 12 months; and how many of these recruits became trained soldiers.

(104483)

424
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department defines (a) trained and (b) untrained (i) officers and (ii) soldiers.

(104484)

425
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the 1st October 2006 TSP04 figures will be published.

(104485)

426
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the leaving figures for the Regular Army have been for each of the last 12 months.

(104486)

427
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has evaluated the Phalanx C-RAM Anti Mortar System for use in the defence of British bases in Iraq and Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

(104487)

428
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has evaluated the existing Counter Battery Radar to be adapted to provide targeting data for the Phalanx C-RAM anti mortar system.

(104488)

Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister

429
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with other states party to the Kyoto Protocol; and if he will make a statement.

(103751)

430
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much his Office has paid to DHL since its establishment.

(104174)

431
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether any representatives of Kerzner International were present at his meeting with the Anschutz Entertainment Group at their Canary Wharf offices on 17th August 2005.

(103913)

432
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, for what reason he visited the Canary Wharf offices of Anschutz Entertainment Group on 17th August 2005.

(104096)

433
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104360)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

434
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104467)

435
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he expects to publish the evaluation report on the six developmental projects providing emergency accommodation for young runaways; and if he will make a statement.

(106034)

436
N Mr Stephen Byers (North Tyneside):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many places were available in state boarding schools in England in each year since 1976.

(103256)

437
Colin Challen (Morley & Rothwell):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) faith primary schools, broken down by faith and (b) non-faith primary schools there are in each local education authority area.

(106011)

438
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will encourage local authorities to monitor the number of citizenship specialist trained teachers.

(103732)

439
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what information on the number of teachers teaching by subject he has collected since 25th October.

(103733)

440
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the desired outcomes on pupil development are of the (a) knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens, (b) enquiry and communication and (c) participation and responsible action sections of the citizenship curriculum.

(104447)

441
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what skills he expects pupils to have after completing key stages (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four; and how the achievement of those skills is monitored.

(104448)

442
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, in what circumstances a woman with a family on low income is eligible for a maintenance grant to study for a degree; and if he will make a statement.

(104238)

443
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the extent to which student loans are made available to those on low incomes.

(104294)

444
Jim Cousins (Newcastle upon Tyne Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many members of the Teachers Pension Scheme are staff of independent schools; and what (a) adminstrative and (b) other costs are met by his Department to support those members.

(105971)

445
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the average class size is for (a) primary and (b) secondary classes.

(102440)

446
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools he estimates wish to opt out of local authority control.

(102441)

447
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many new schools commissioned by local authorities have been built since 2001; and how many applications he received from local authorities to build new community schools in that period.

(102442)

448
N Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether teachers working in academies will retain their national negotiating rights on pay and conditions.

(102443)

449
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the Government's total (a) financial and (b) in kind contribution has been to the new Parkfield children's centre in West Hendon; what estimate he has made of the contribution of the London Borough of Barnet to the centre; what services the centre will provide; and if he will make a statement.

(103734)

450
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many jobs in his Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

(103691)

451
Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many teachers were recruited from overseas in each of the last five years.

(105896)

452
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the literacy rate is in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

(103757)

453
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many university and college admissions service applications there were in each of the last five years; how many came from each Parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

(103760)

454
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people are employed as competition managers; what the (a) grade and (b) salary range is of each such post; what the (i) minimum, (ii) median and (iii) maximum salary is in each salary range; and how many competition managers he expects to recruit over the next 12 months.

(106008)

455
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much is allocated to the employment of competition managers in the 2006-07 financial year; and what the expected budget is for each of the next three tax years.

(106009)

456
N Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of schools have a designated enterprise adviser.

(103421)

457
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what factors he took into account when deciding that schools that select up to 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude in permitted subjects will be exempt from the restriction on giving higher priority to siblings of existing pupils under paragraph 2.13 of the draft Schools Admissions Code; and if he will make a statement.

(104245)

458
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many schools are permitted to use pre-existing partial selection by ability under section 100 of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998; and how many of those have admissions arrangements that allow for (a) 10 per cent. or less and (a) more than 10 per cent. of pupils to be selected on the basis of ability.

(104268)

459
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many representations his Department has received (a) in favour of and (b) opposed to permitting partially-selective schools from giving priority to admissions of siblings in the past 12 months.

(104269)

460
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether the (a) Office for Standards in Education and (b) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104280)

461
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools fall within each percentage point in terms of the proportion of pupils attending the school who are eligible for free school meals.

(104451)

462
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he expects to bring into force each provision of the Children and Adoption Act 2006.

(103873)

463
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105764)

464
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106146)

465
Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of the Transformation Fund; and whether he plans to extend the initiative beyond 2008.

(104271)

466
Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of childcarers in receipt of support from the Transformation Fund are enrolled on training for (a) level 3, (b) level 4, (c) level 5 and (d) level 6 qualifications.

(104272)

467
Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) independent day nurseries have accessed the Transformation Fund to help with the costs of staff training since its inception.

(104273)

468
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what policies his Department is implementing to ensure that there will be sufficient qualified graduates to meet the demands of the UK computing industry.

(106055)

469
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more women to pursue higher and further education courses in computer science.

(106056)

470
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many and what percentage of children are looked after children in each local authority with one or more academies; and how many and what percentage of children at each academy in each such authority are looked after children.

(103814)

471
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Higher Education Funding Council for England on the decision not to introduce a change to the fee assumption when determining funding; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this decision on institutions with large numbers of part-time students.

(104428)

472
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much the Government is contributing through Sure Start towards the establishment of new children's centres in the Bristol local authority area.

(104320)

473
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received on the Pricewaterhouse Cooper's report commissioned by his Department on the State of the Childcare Market; and what action has been taken to implement its recommendations.

(104493)

474
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received on the application of the code of practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four year olds for nurseries in England; and if he will make a statement.

(104494)

475
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what representations he has received on the proposed amendments to the code of practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four year olds.

(104495)

476
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many mainstream nursery providers there were in England in (a) 1995 and (b) 2005.

(104496)

477
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the extent to which nursery education is free at the point of delivery.

(105778)

478
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will list the 20 Pathfinders that have been identified to pilot the Code of Practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four year olds.

(105845)

479
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on what basis nursery providers can choose to opt out of the provisions in the Childcare Act 2006 that requires providers caring for children up to age five to register on the Early Years register and deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage; and what the consequences are for the providers opting out.

(105846)

480
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if the Department will carry out a regulatory impact assessment on the implementation of children centres as stipulated in Every Child Matters: Change for Children.

(105847)

481
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what progress he has made in developing the proposals for the children's information sharing index; and if he will make a statement.

(105972)

482
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for the extended school day of his proposals to require those seeking to work in delivering these provisions to hold national vocational qualifications.

(105977)

483
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the expected error rate is for the Child Database.

(104296)

484
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that new large-scale computer systems (a) meet performance targets and (b) do not exceed the budgets allocated to them.

(105798)

485
N Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, whether his Department is able to veto (a) programmes scheduled and (b) contracts entered into by Teachers TV.

(104247)

486
Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what funding the Department provided to Teachers' TV in each year since its inception; and what proportion of the total budget this funding represents.

(104298)

487
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104166)

488
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much funding was made available for children's centres in Loughborough constituency in the last financial year for which figures are available.

(105830)

489
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what role he plans for the further education sector in delivering his Olympic strategy; and if he will make a statement.

(105831)

490
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much was allocated to Loughborough constituency through the Excellence in Cities programme in the last year for which figures are available.

(105832)

491
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that small areas of social deprivation receive assistance under funding initiatives in his Department.

(105833)

492
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of school leavers in England who enrolled in universities in (a) Scotland and (b) Northern Ireland in 2006-07.

(105987)

493
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of school leavers in England who enrolled in Welsh universities in each of the last three years.

(106075)

494
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of school leavers in England who enrolled in Scottish universities in each of the last three years.

(106081)

495
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of school leavers in Scotland who enrolled in English universities in each of the last three years.

(106082)

496
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many applications his Department has received from local authorities to sell school playing fields since the School Standards and Framework Act 1998; and how many such applications have been (a) refused and (b) approved.

(104070)

497
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that all Government-funded schools are made aware of the recycling opportunitites available to them.

(104008)

498
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from (a) renewable sources and (b) on-site micro-generation facilities during the last period for which figures are available.

(106063)

499
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many children were transported to and from school by taxis provided by Essex County Council in each of the last five years.

(106064)

500
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much was spent on taxis to transport pupils to and from school by Essex County Council in each of the last five years.

(106065)

501
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104436)

502
David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will ban the use of hydrogenated oils and fats in foods served and sold in school canteens.

(104423)

503
N Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how much funding his Department provided for the running of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender history month in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006; and how much it plans to give towards the February 2007 event.

(104414)

504
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many people repaying their student loan to the Students Loan Company saw their debt increase in the last year for which figures are available.

(105780)

505
Mr Edward Vaizey (Wantage):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 22nd November 2006, Official Report, column 109W, on special needs, what training on dyslexia the nationally accredited training regulations will contain.

(105872)

506
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communication officers, (c) press officers and (d) promotional officers are employed in his Department; and what estimate he has made of the total expenditure on communications for the Department on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104223)

507
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what guidance his Department has provided on best practice for the governance and operational arrangements of successor bodies to local Connexions.

(104142)

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

508
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104470)

509
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has received from Paul Lasok and Rebecca Haynes on behalf of the Soil Association on the proposals of the co-existence of GM conventional and organic crops in England.

(103728)

510
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to increase new planting of forestry in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

(104229)

511
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much new planting of forest he expects the Government to complete by 2010; and what targets he has set.

(104230)

512
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of EU-wide comparisons of forestry cover; and if he will make a statement.

(104231)

513
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to revise his targets for the new planting of forestry following the revision of the English and Scottish forestry strategies.

(104232)

514
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to increase woodland cover in the UK as part of the EU Forest Action Plan; and if he will make a statement.

(104233)

515
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's budget is for the UK's role in delivering the EU Forest Action Plan.

(104234)

516
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has carried out regarding the link between deforestation in the UK and carbon dioxide levels.

(104235)

517
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with other Government departments regarding the EU Forest Action Plan.

(104236)

518
Gregory Barker (Bexhill & Battle):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his targets are for the new planting of forest within the UK for the next five years; and what targets he has for each species of tree.

(104237)

519
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what response he has made to the recent EU vote against an early introduction of voluntary modulation; and if he will make a statement

(104274)

520
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on lessons learned from the recent false BSE test in Northern Ireland.

(104275)

521
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to support the UK prawn industry; and if he will make a statement.

(104276)

522
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has received from boating organisations on the proposed reduction in British Waterways' grant.

(105873)

523
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many jobs in his Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

(103692)

524
N Tim Farron (Westmorland & Lonsdale):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with EU partners on steps to ensure that British dairy farmers receive at least the cost of milk production in return for their product.

(103393)

525
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) carbon dioxide emission and (b) Kyoto basket emissions are estimated to have come from air transport flights taking off and landing in UK airports in 2005.

(103759)

526
Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what new initiatives he plans to introduce to encourage the use of tidal power.

(106058)

527
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Forestry Commission recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104281)

528
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken by his Department to control urban foxes.

(105978)

529
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who served in the Government since May 1997.

(105771)

530
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106157)

531
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of plastic bags which is recycled.

(103752)

532
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on allocating allowances in phase two of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.

(103753)

533
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will assess the impact of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.

(103754)

534
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of air quality in Wirral West in each year between 2001 and 2005.

(103755)

535
Martin Horwood (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what ways the Government's Waste Strategy 2000 and its pending review will inform the provisions of the Climate Change Bill which was announced in the Queen's Speech; and if he will make a statement.

(103811)

536
Martin Horwood (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the review of England's Waste Strategy to be published; and if he will make a statement.

(103812)

537
Martin Horwood (Cheltenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of waste was taken to landfill in each year since 1997; what assessment has been made of the impact of landfill waste on the environment; and if he will make a statement.

(103813)

538
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to set recycling targets for waste from (a) small businesses and (b) municipal buildings, including schools.

(104151)

539
Chris Huhne (Eastleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average annual temperature of the UK was in each year for which his Department holds records.

(104220)

540
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) criminal conviction and (b) other checks are made of people applying for waste management licences; and what assessment is made of their competence to operate such licences.

(105877)

541
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote exports of UK dairy products.

(104248)

542
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure councils deal with the spread of ragwort in Shropshire.

(104249)

543
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage councils to use carbon neutral woodchip burners in council premises.

(104250)

544
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will provide Shrewsbury Borough Council with funding to provide extra recycling facilities.

(104299)

545
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many British ships have licences to fish off the coast of Mauritania.

(104300)

546
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure additional flood defences for Shrewsbury.

(104301)

547
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people in his Department work in (a) environment, (b) agriculture, (c) rural affairs and (d) food.

(104395)

548
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the chairman of the Office of Fair Trading to discuss the price paid by supermarkets for milk.

(105790)

549
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the levels of single farm payment (SFP) awards across EU member states; and what steps he is taking to ensure that SFPs in England enable farmers to remain competitive.

(105791)

550
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to provide farmers with (a) information and (b) guidelines on the (i) production and (ii) support for production of energy crops.

(105792)

551
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in England.

(105793)

552
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will provide financial support for sugar beet farmers in the Shrewsbury constituency following the closure of the British sugar factory in Shropshire.

(105794)

553
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice and guidance he has provided for farmers on the effects of climate change and the potential effects it will have on how crops are grown in the future.

(105806)

554
Mr Andrew Love (Edmonton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what factors he took into account when deciding not to extend the Mayor of London's statutory powers to include Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision on preparations for the 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement.

(104325)

555
Mr Michael Meacher (Oldham West & Royton):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK has sent data to the EC regarding monitoring of food and feed in connection with non-compliance on the GMO labelling requirements introduced under EC Regulation 1829/2003 for the years 2004 and 2005.

(106168)

556
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104168)

557
N Mr Chris Mullin (Sunderland South):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government has taken to encourage local authorities to recycle commercial waste; and if he will make a statement.

(104090)

558
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the UK's biofuels consumption is met by imports, broken down by (a) country of origin and (b) feedstock.

(105906)

559
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the environmental impact of importing biofuels.

(105907)

560
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that imported biofuels are not produced at the expense of rainforests and other eco-sensitive areas.

(105908)

561
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, why the UK's biofuels targets are set by volume; and which other EU countries set biofuels inclusion targets by volume.

(105909)

562
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Department's capital expenditure (a) budget and (b) outturn was in each year since 2001-02 in cash terms, broken down by estimate subhead.

(106116)

563
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what departmental capital projects exceeded their original funding allocations in 2005-06.

(106117)

564
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reasons were for capital spending exceeding original allocations in his Department in 2005-06.

(106118)

565
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures he is putting in place in response to the Commission for Rural Communities' recent report on poverty in rural England and Wales.

(106121)

566
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to use the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification as a system of certifiable sustainable forestry; and if he will make a statement.

(105976)

567
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what Government funding has been provided to British Waterways in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what funding is planned for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

(104286)

568
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what restrictions exist on the burning of garden waste; and if he will make a statement.

(104288)

569
N Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will increase the maximum level of Eaga Partnership Warm Front grants available to householders in Cornwall.

(103633)

570
N Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria his Department uses to accredit contractors to carry out work under the Eaga Warm Front scheme.

(103634)

571
N Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of recipients of support for (a) energy efficiency and (b) central heating installation from Eaga Group Warm Front grants are able to fund 100 per cent. of the necessary works from their grant.

(103699)

572
N Mr Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was allocated to householders under the Eaga Group Warm Front grant scheme in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(103700)

573
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures he proposes to take to protect the Lyme Bay reef system.

(105989)

574
Mr Adrian Sanders (Torbay):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what criteria the reef areas within Lyme Bay were selected for protection.

(105990)

575
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to combat the bile fluke Pseudamphistomum truncatum; what information he has received from the veterinary community regarding the fluke; how many dead otters have been recorded as having the fluke; which species of fish are being examined to see if they are carriers of the fluke; which regions of the Environment Agency have recorded cases of the fluke; how many mink have been examined to see if they have the fluke; and what funding has been allocated for such autopsies.

(103867)

576
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to monitor the spread of the fluke Pseudamphistomum truncatum; and what funding has been allocated to this process.

(103868)

577
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what inquiries are being made into the implications of the spread of the bile fluke Pseudamphistomum truncatum; what warnings he has issued to the veterinary profession about the possibility of infection from the fluke; and what information he has received from other European countries which have dealt with the spread of the fluke.

(103869)

578
Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on inland waterways of the recent reduction in funding.

(103959)

579
Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the risk of flooding in Oxford in winter 2006-07.

(103960)

580
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the possible reasons for the rise in fly-tipping offences measured by the Flycapture database.

(103918)

581
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Department's press release of 13th March 2006, how much funding (a) his Department and (b) its agencies is providing to the British council tax rebate programme.

(103919)

582
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure on flood and coastal defences from (i) his Department and (ii) the Environment Agency there has been in each year from 1997-98; and what the forecast level of such expenditure is for 2007-08.

(103920)

583
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding the Government has provided to local authorities to compensate for higher rates of landfill tax and the landfill tax escalator under the New Burdens Principle.

(103924)

584
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Departmental press release of 13th March 2006, what definition he used for a household that could benefit from cavity wall insulation installation; and if he will make a statement.

(104066)

585
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has given to local authorities on the leaving of fixed penalties for litter offences relating to domestic rubbish.

(104067)

586
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Departmental has received calling for the introduction of variable rate charging for domestic rubbish.

(104068)

587
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has plans to give regional development agencies a role in (a) waste management and (b) waste planning.

(104073)

588
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether waste recycled at a county council amenity site in a two-tier area counts towards a borough council's Best Value performance indicators for recycling.

(104074)

589
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average domestic water bill (including sewerage) in England was in each year since 1996-97.

(104075)

590
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, why home composting is not (a) recorded and (b) rewarded in Best Value performance indicators.

(104083)

591
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of each report that the Eunomia consultancy has produced for (a) his Department and (b) its agencies.

(104097)

592
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies has paid to the Eunomia consultancy; and for what purpose.

(104104)

593
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fixed penalties were issued for (a) putting domestic rubbish in the wrong container, (b) leaving domestic rubbish out on the wrong day and (c) overfilling a wheelie bin with domestic rubbish in the last year for which figures are available.

(104105)

594
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what private finance initiative schemes his Department is involved in relating to local authority waste collection and disposal.

(104106)

595
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, why recycling trade waste is not counted in Best Value Performance Indicators for recycling.

(104108)

596
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which projects run by the consultancy Ecotec his Department has funded since 1997; and what the (a) cost and (b) objective was of each project.

(104311)

597
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which projects run by the consultancy Eunomia (a) his Department and (b) the Environment Agency has funded since 1997; and what the (i) cost and (ii) objective was of each project.

(104312)

598
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what central government support is available to local authorities to help them reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.

(106066)

599
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104442)

600
Mr Edward Vaizey (Wantage):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria his Department will use when assessing the effectiveness of the 2006 hosepipe ban in the South East.

(105928)

601
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104363)

602
N Mr David Winnick (Walsall North):To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will reply to the letter of 11th October 2006, reference 273451, from the hon. Member for Walsall North regarding a constituent.

(103260)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

603
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104465)

604
Mr Graham Brady (Altrincham & Sale West):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on the Government's thinking on the future of the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union since 26th October 2006; and when the Minister for Europe will set out the underlying principles of the Government's approach.

(106059)

605
Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the recent proposal from Spain, France and Italy for a peace initiative by the EU on the Israel/Palestine question; and if she will make a statement.

(106006)

606
N Colin Burgon (Elmet):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) representations her Department has made and (b) advice it has offered to the Embassy of Colombia on adopting a professional public relations strategy to counter concerns on human rights in Colombia expressed by British trade unions to the Government.

(103712)

607
N Colin Burgon (Elmet):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is her policy to support the activities of the US Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba.

(103713)

608
N Colin Burgon (Elmet):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which representatives of the UK Government met the US Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba on 16th August 2006; where the meeting took place; what the purpose of the meeting was; and what further such meetings are planned.

(103714)

609
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the recent Nepalese peace accord signed by Prime Minister Koirala and rebel leader Pranchanda.

(104397)

610
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of civil liberties in Thailand.

(104398)

611
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports she has received of the conflict in Somalia; and what action she is taking to establish a sustainable peace.

(104400)

612
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the conditions for British oil and gas workers in the Niger Delta.

(104548)

613
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the briefing Jan Egeland delivered to the UN Security Council on the situation in Darfur.

(104549)

614
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for stability in the Great Lakes region of the French judicial authorities' pending indictment of President Kagame of Rwanda.

(105951)

615
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will publish the records her Department holds on (a) the heavy water transfer and (b) the supply of (i) plutonium, (ii) uranium-235, (iii) beryllium and (iv) lithium-6 to Israel via Norway in the 1960s.

(103973)

616
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what requests the Government has received pressing for the UNHCR to intervene to assist Afghan refugees; and if she will make a statement.

(105959)

617
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports she has received on Site Four Prison in East Baghdad; what representations UK representatives have made about it to the Iraqi authorities; and if she will make a statement.

(106163)

618
N Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which UK observers she expects to be in Venezuela for the forthcoming presidential election; when those observers will arrive in Venezuela; and how long after the election she expects them to remain.

(104384)

619
N Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contacts her Department has made with organisations representing the Tamil people of Sri Lanka in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

(104385)

620
N Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with the government of Sri Lanka on achieving a ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers; and if she will make a statement.

(104386)

621
N Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings her Department has held with humanitarian groups in Sri Lanka to discuss the effects of the conflict in the North and East of the country in the last 12 months.

(104387)

622
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and whether she plans to press for the intervention of the International Criminal Court where appropriate.

(103418)

623
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Government provided support to President Kagame of Rwanda (a) before and (b) in the immediate aftermath of his coming to power.

(104204)

624
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations she has made to the Iranian authorities on Iran's use of the death penalty; and if she will make a statement.

(104207)

625
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's position is on the French judicial authorities' indictment of President Kagame of Rwanda for his role in the genocide.

(104209)

626
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the UK played in reaching the peace agreement in Eastern Sudan.

(105883)

627
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the terms are of the recent peace agreement in Eastern Sudan; who is party to the agreement; what the time-scale is for its implementation; and if she will make a statement.

(105884)

628
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Beja Congress on the eastern peace agreement in Sudan.

(105885)

629
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with (a) the UN and (b) the government of Sudan on the introduction of peace-keeping forces into the East of the country.

(105886)

630
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when she last discussed the transfer of Michael Shields to the UK with the Bulgarian authorities.

(103090)

631
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many jobs in her Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

(103693)

632
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had recently with the South African High Commissioner on strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of South Africa; and if she will make a statement.

(105947)

633
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had recently with the Indian High Commissioner on strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links between the United Kingdom and India; and if she will make a statement.

(105948)

634
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had recently with the Chinese Ambassador on strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China; and if she will make a statement.

[R] (105949)

635
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether her Department uses an internal (a) traffic light and (b) colour coded system to answer written parliamentary questions; and whether her Department grades or classifies written parliamentary questions according to their political sensitivity.

(103796)

636
Mr William Hague (Richmond (Yorks)):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the Italian proposal for talks with Serbia on a EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement to be restarted.

(103798)

637
Nick Harvey (North Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) Sudan, (b) the Central African Republic and (c) Chad about the security situation in the three countries' border region; and if she will make a statement.

(103872)

638
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which public appointments have been made by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105763)

639
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106144)

640
N Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter to the Prime Minister from the Chancellor of the Exchequer which sought permission for his trip to Nigeria on 22nd May.

(103263)

641
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when she will reply to the letter of 12th October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr K. Said.

(105797)

642
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Israel and (b) Syria on the future of the Golan Heights.

(104251)

643
N Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when UK Visas will provide the hon. Member for Aylesbury with the reply dated 11th October about the case oof Mr K. H. (reference GV100/095780/SU) referred to in the Answer of 16th October 2006, Official Report, column 965W.

(103698)

644
N Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what her assessment is of the role of NATO in international relations; and if she will make a statement.

(102566)

645
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104177)

646
N Adam Price (Carmarthen East & Dinefwr):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether her Department has evidence of involvement by members of the Iraqi al-Da'wa organisation in the planning and execution of the terrorist attacks on the British Embassy and the British Club in Baghdad during the 1980s.

(103092)

647
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on proposals to strengten Palestinian security forces; and what assessment she has made of (a) the US's proposals and (b) the extent to which agreement with the US was reached in such discussions.

(103502)

648
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) she and (b) members of her Department have had with (i) the United Nations Secretary General and (ii) his representatives on proposals to resolve the status of the Shebaa Farms area in accordance with UNSCR 1701; and if she will make a statement.

(103503)

649
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what her assessment is of progress made in the formation of (a) a Palestinian unity government and (b) commitment to the Quartet principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel and commitment to previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

(103504)

650
N Mr Keith Simpson (Mid Norfolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what equipment requirements for the Lebanese armed forces the UK military team referred to in the Answer of 4th September 2006, Official Report, columns 2046-47W, have identified; and if she will make a statement.

(103697)

651
Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports she has received of a new ground and air offensive in Sudan in the last week; and what representations she has made to the government of Sudan.

(103961)

652
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British citizens were detained in prisons abroad in the most recent period for which information is available, broken down by country.

(104401)

653
Mr Edward Vaizey (Wantage):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment she has made of the safety of nuclear facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

(105930)

654
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in her Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for her Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104354)

655
David Wright (Telford):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the fulfilment of UN Resolution 1244 on the future of Kosovo.

(105970)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

656
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104466)

657
Mr David Anderson (Blaydon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many extra (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other health service staff have been employed in (i) Gateshead Primary Care Trust and (ii) Blaydon constituency since 1997.

(105783)

658
Mr David Anderson (Blaydon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new health service facilities have been established in (a) Gateshead Primary Care Trust and (b) Blaydon constituency since 1997.

(105784)

659
Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the self-regulatory framework for oestopathy in meeting the needs of patients.

(104244)

660
N Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she expects to publish the cost-benefit analysis of the impact of revalidation on the osteopathic profession.

(104264)

661
N Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions she has had with the (a) General Osteopathic Council and (b) British Osteopathic Association on the proposed revalidation process for the osteopathic profession.

(104265)

662
N Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients received dental treatment at an NHS walk-in centre in each month since 1st April 2005.

[R] (103804)

663
N Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients visited an NHS dentist in each month since 1st April 2006.

[R] (103805)

664
N Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what method her Department is using to measure patient access to NHS dental care following the end of patient registration upon the implementation of the new general dental services contract.

[R] (103806)

665
N Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance is given by her Department to primary care trusts regarding the administration of patient charges for NHS dental services.

[R] (103807)

666
N Sir Paul Beresford (Mole Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the projected shortfall is in patient charge revenue from NHS dental services.

[R] (103823)

667
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many units of dental activity in each band was recorded by the Business Service Authority in each month since the start of the system, broken down by primary care trust.

(105941)

668
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government plans to take to increase the take-up of breast cancer screening amongst women over 70; and if she will make a statement.

(106039)

669
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the effect of the ageing of the population on the demand for breast screening; and if she will make a statement.

(106040)

670
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will set a new health care standard in the national minimium standards for adult social care to ensure that care home residents receive adequate access to fresh drinking water; and if she will make a statement.

(106041)

671
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will make representations to the Food Standards Agency to redraft its nutritional guidance for institutions providing residential care to older people so that it explicitly addresses the provision of fresh drinking water on demand.

(106042)

672
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was (a) between written referral from a general practitioner to the first out-patient appointment with a pain management consultant and (b) for patients waiting for elective admission where the main specialty is pain management in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

(106043)

673
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dedicated pain clinics there are in England, broken down by (a) NHS hospital trust and (b) primary care trust.

(106044)

674
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action has been taken to address the concerns raised by professional bodies about the proposals in the Foster Review statutorily to regulate the non-medical healthcare professions.

(103949)

675
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average length of time was between the initial advertisement of a vacancy through NHS Professionals and the first working day of the successful applicant in each of the last five years for which information is available.

(103950)

676
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget for NHS Professionals was in each of the last five years for which records are available.

(103951)

677
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were recruited through NHS Professionals in each of the last five years for which information is available.

(103952)

678
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what efficiency measures are in place within NHS Professionals to ensure a quick and simple process.

(103953)

679
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints were received regarding NHS Professionals in each of the last five years for which records are available.

(103954)

680
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of the number of blind people living in (a) Wirral and (b) Wirral South.

(104446)

681
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to whom primary care trusts are accountable; and which areas of their operation they are required to account for.

(105952)

682
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the running costs are for a full year's operation of the Indpependent Treatment Centre based at King George's Hospital, Redbridge.

(105955)

683
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the running costs are for a full year's operation, including loan repayments for capital investment and PFI costs of (a) Queen's Hospital, Oldchurch (b) King George's Hospital, Redbridge and (c) Whipps Cross Hospital, Leytonstone.

(105956)

684
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) efficiency and (b) productivity indicators she uses to assess standards of (i) care and (ii) value for money of NHS trusts' performance.

(106161)

685
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust has taken to minimise the level of emergency admissions to Whipps Cross Hospital; and what average daily admissions were (a) before and (b) after the implementation of such measures.

(106162)

686
Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she is taking to ensure that the forthcoming guide on hospital car parking charges to be issued by the income generation yeam meets the Department's disability equality duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

(104005)

687
Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the compliance of the `Transport and Car Parking' guidance issued by the Estates and Facilities Division in February 2006 with the Department's disablity equality duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

(104006)

688
Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how trusts' compliance with departmental guidance on hospital car parking will be monitored; and what penalties trusts will face if they fail to comply with that guidance.

(104007)

689
Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment she has made of the health impact on young people of the increase in under 18 consumption of alcohol.

(103821)

690
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many products manufactured to tackle hospital-acquired infections have been referred to the Rapid Review Panel; and how many recommendations the Panel has made, broken down by category of recommendation.

(106170)

691
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) supported on the detection and control of causes of hospital-acquired infections.

(106173)

692
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much her Department has committed to spend on tackling hospital-acquired infection in each year since the launch of the initiative to tackle such infections on 1st September 2004; and how that spending has been allocated.

(106174)

693
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospital trusts have appointed named individuals with responsibility for tackling hospital-acquired infections, and which have not done so; and how much each trust has spent on tackling such infections in each of the last three years.

(106175)

694
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many jobs in her Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

(103694)

695
Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath & Crayford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) adult and (b) child patients are registered with a (i) GP practice and (ii) NHS dental practice in the London Borough of Bexley; and how many were so registered on (A) 1st January and (B) 1st July in each of the last five years.

(103810)

696
Mr Mark Field (Cities of London & Westminster):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding has been allocated from the total NHS budget to (a) HIV and AIDS and (b) multiple sclerosis services and research in 2006-07.

(103877)

697
Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths occurred in England as a result of adverse reactions to medicinal drugs in each of the past seven years; and what proportion of these deaths were reported by the Yellow Card scheme.

(106057)

698
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Food Standards Agency recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104283)

699
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the national average (a) outpatient, (b) day case and (c) inpatient waiting times were for (i) gynaecology, (ii) ophthalmology, (iii) trauma, (iv) orthopaedics and (v) urology units in the last period for which figures are available.

(103879)

700
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the national average (a) outpatient, (b) day case and (c) inpatient waiting times were for (i) cardiology units, (ii) ear, throat and nose clinics, (iii) general medicine units and (iv) general surgery units in the last period for which figures are available.

(103880)

701
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many official visits she and her predecessors have made to hospitals in each county in each year since 1997.

(104461)

702
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital patients in Cornwall had their discharge delayed by (a) up to eight days, (b) between eight and 14 days, (c) between 14 and 28 days and (d) more than 28 days in the last year for which figures are available.

(104462)

703
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she is taking to encourage NHS clinicians to develop patient pathway guidance for the treatment of conditions which have not been addressed by clinical guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.

(104242)

704
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans her Department has to provide guidance on the care of patients with complicated diabetic foot wounds.

(104243)

705
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what patient pathway guidance NHS clinicians should follow where clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence are not available.

(104263)

706
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which public appointments have been made by her Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105760)

707
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what factors led to her decision to shut down the Keep warm, keep well campaign helpline; and what her estimate was of the cost of continuing to provide the service.

(105775)

708
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the effect on vulnerable groups of her decision to close the Keep warm, keep well campaign helpline.

(105776)

709
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations she has received following her decision to shut down the Keep warm, keep well campaign helpline in July.

(105777)

710
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much energy consumed by her Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106143)

711
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money the NHS spent on social marketing in England in each of the last five years.

(103746)

712
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what her current guidelines are on the use of social marketing in the NHS.

(103747)

713
N Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will direct the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to publish on its website drug analysis prints containing details of yellow card reports submitted after 25th May; and if she will make a statement.

(103135)

714
Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will include adhesive arachnoiditis on the NHS list and codification of medical conditions.

(104270)

715
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many unfilled NHS posts were held vacant in the Peterborough Primary Care Trust (PCT) area and its predecessor PCT area in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

(104139)

716
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans her Department has for the employment of physician assistants in the Health Service.

(105871)

717
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions she has had with the NHS Appointments Commission on increasing the number of non-executive directors of NHS trusts who come from areas of health deprivation; and if she will make a statement.

(103264)

718
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many former chief executives of strategic health authorities are engaged in carrying out consultancy work for the NHS.

(103265)

719
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-executive directors of (a) primary care trusts, (b) acute trusts and (c) mental health trusts live in wards categorised as being in the most deprived 20 per cent. of wards as measured by the normal index of deprivation.

(103266)

720
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints were made to NHS institutions about care of the elderly while receiving treatment in 2005-06.

(104304)

721
Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding has been made available to primary care trusts for treatment of (a) alcohol misuse and (b) drug misuse in (i) Greater London and (ii) England in each year since 2000.

(104154)

722
Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what auditing procedures are in place to monitor spending on treatment for alcohol misuse by individual primary care trusts.

(104157)

723
Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many elderly people were unable to provide a next of kin whilst seeking medical treatment in each year since 2000; how many of these were consequently unable to obtain treatment; and if she will make a statement.

(104160)

724
Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidents of drug misuse-related illness have been treated by the NHS in (a) Greater London and (b) England in each year since 2000.

(104161)

725
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether she plans to increase the resources made available to the NHS to support the implementation of (a) Agenda for Change, (b) the consultants' contract and (c) the general medical services contract in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; what the overspend was on each of these contracts in (A) 2004-05 and (B) 2005-06; and whether she anticipates spending on these contracts exceeding their funding envelope in 2006-07.

(106073)

726
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to table 94a on page Ev249 of her Department's Memorandum to the Health Committee, HC 1692-i, how the overall 2006-07 tariff uplift of four per cent. may be reconciled with the figure of 1.5 per cent. published in paragraph 5.2, page 18, of her Department's document The NHS in England: the Operating Framework for 2006-07, published on 26th January 2006.

(106074)

727
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the enhanced service floor was for 2005-06, broken down by primary care trust (PCT); what she expects it to be in 2006-07, broken down by PCT; and what steps she will take to ensure that PCTs do not invest in enhanced services at a level below the enhanced service floor.

(106103)

728
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what her Department's assessment is of the effectiveness of fiscal incentives in changing consumer behaviour; and in what ways fiscal mechanisms may be used to change people's behaviour.

(106106)

729
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her speech on 16th November 2006, Official Report, column 152, on Health and Education, what methodology she used to calculate the stated figures that residents of the City of Cambridge would receive £205 per unweighted head less under a system of resource allocation based on the burden of disease, and that residents of Leicester would receive £305 more; what the revenue allocation would be for each primary care trust in England by this methodology; and whether calculations of morbidity are included in the methodology.

(106107)

730
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21st November 2006, Official Report, columns 29W-30W, on Healthy Living, whether she has assessed the merits of using fiscal incentices to promote responsible drinking.

(106108)

731
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22nd November 2006, Official Report, column 139W, on influenza, what progress she is making towards 75 per cent. seasonal influenza vaccination coverage in at-risk groups, not including those aged 65 years and over.

(106110)

732
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of the (a) actual and (b) optimum number of (i) diagnostic and (ii) therapeutic radiographers working in the NHS.

(106122)

733
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the revenue allocations per unweighted head would be to each primary care trust in England in 2006-07 if aditional need was given (a) zero-weighting and (b) half its current weighting in the Hospital and Community Health Services component of the weighted capitation formula.

(106123)

734
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much and what proportion of the NHS budget has been paid to non-NHS providers in each financial year since 1997-98 in (a) cash and (b) real terms.

(106124)

735
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS wards do not currently have single-sex accommodation.

(106125)

736
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what payments NHS organisations have received from local authority social services departments under the delayed discharges reimbursement scheme in each financial year since 2003-04, broken down by local authority.

(106126)

737
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of attenders at genito-urinary medicine clinics was recorded as not having been given an appointment within two weeks in the August 2006 audit of GUM clinic waiting times by the Health Protection Agency.

(106127)

738
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many attendances there have been at genito-urinary medicine clinics of (a) men and (b) women in each year since 1997, broken down by those aged (i) under 16, (ii) 16 to 24, (iii) 25 to 44 and (iv) 45 years and over.

(106128)

739
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospital schemes with a capital value of £29.7 million or over have been built since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

(106129)

740
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the (a) optimum and (b) actual level of enhanced services being commissioned by primary care trusts under the community pharmacy contract.

(106130)

741
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions have been issued using the electronic prescriptions service in each month since it became operational.

(106131)

742
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she intends to publish a document for consultation based on her Department's wider review of regulation.

(106132)

743
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what her latest estimate is of the proportion of patients in each of the groups whose health is deemed at risk from seasonal influenza who have received their seasonal influenza immunisation for the 2006-07 winter.

(106133)

744
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what capital expenditure against budget underspend the NHS was forecasting in the 2006-07 financial year at month six (a) in total and (b) broken down by NHS organisation.

(106138)

745
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many primary care trusts do not have full-time directors of finance in post.

(106139)

746
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she expects to publish the NHS Operating Framework for 2007-08.

(106140)

747
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she will publish NHS redundancy figures for the third quarter of 2006-07.

(106141)

748
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were treated on an elective inpatient or daycase basis in each year since 1990-91, as recorded in the Hospital Episodes Statistics database; and how many of these patients were counted for the purposes of collecting official Korner waiting time data in each financial year since 1990-91.

(106142)

749
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the trend in the number of community pharmacies in England receiving payments for delivering agreed additional hours between 2004-05 and 2005-06, as shown in table 12 of the General Pharmaceutical Service (Annual Bulletin) 2005-06; and how many community pharmacies provided additional agreed hours in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06, broken down by primary care trust area.

(106165)

750
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to table 5 on page Ev 10 of her Department's Memorandum to the Health Committee entitled Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2006, HC 1692-i, published on 21st November 2006, if she will publish the table with all figures from the financial years 1997-98 to 2005-06; and if she will provide estimates for the 2006-07 financial year.

(106169)

751
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the evidence given before the Health Committee on 21st November 2006, on NHS deficits (Question 793), what specific workforce targets were cascaded to strategic health authorities (SHA); and what assessment she has made of how each SHA has performed against such targets.

(106171)

752
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the evidence (Question 742) given before the Health Committee on 21st November 2006, on NHS deficits, what estimate she has made of the oversupply of (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other health professionals and (d) all other NHS staff in 2006-07.

(106172)

753
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to table 63a on page Ev 169 of her Department's Memorandum to the Health Committee, HC 1692-i, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the trend in the number of people removed from a decision to admit.

(106176)

754
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to table 63b on page Ev 169 of her Department's Memorandum to the Health Committee, HC 1692-i, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the trend in the number of people who (a) self-defer and (b) are suspended from the waiting list.

(106177)

755
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to table 68 on page Ev 178 of her Department's Memorandum to the Health Committee, HC 1692-i, what assessment she has made of the trend in the column `other referrals to 1st outpatient appointment (consultant led)'.

(106178)

756
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans she has for the carers grant to local authorities beyond 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

(103996)

757
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the extent to which those directly employed by the NHS to provide audiology services are working to the same standards set out in the accreditation process for independent sector providers employed through public-private partnerships.

(103717)

758
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) school nurses and (b) school health assistants have been made redundant in the last three years in (i) Coventry and (ii) England; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the ratio of school nurses to school clusters is reached.

(104210)

759
Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Portsmouth North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Department has made of the effect on carers of the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence decision on Alzheimer's drugs.

(106134)

760
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulance paramedics and technicians were employed in each ambulance trust (a) on 11th September 2001 and (b) in each year since.

(103878)

761
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in (a) North East Hertfordshire and (b) West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust areas have had operations cancelled at short notice in the last 12 months.

(105801)

762
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance her Department has issued to health authorities on criteria to be applied when considering cases involving spousal liability for (a) residential care in care homes and (b) sheltered housing for the elderly.

(105803)

763
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104180)

764
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures are in place to co-ordinate clinical training supervised by strategic health authorities to ensure consistency of (a) quantity and (b) quality of training.

(104371)

765
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans she has to amend national cholesteral targets to reflect the JBS2 guidelines.

(104372)

766
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Quality and Outcome framework on cholesterol level since its introduction.

(104373)

767
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to encourage adults to reduce their cholesterol levels.

(104374)

768
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she expects the National Screening Committee's 2006 recommendations for cordiovascular risk factor screening to be implemented.

(104375)

769
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans she has to manage hepatitis C infection in community settings.

(104377)

770
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of (a) the disease burden secondary to hepatitis C infection and (b) the resources necessary to manage the consequences of Hepatitis C infection over the next 20 years; and if she will make a statement.

(104378)

771
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes in practice have resulted following publication of the Health Protection Agency's Post Health and Medical Inspection Review.

(104379)

772
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of immigrants who entered the UK from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis were (a) medically examined, (b) x-rayed and (c) found to have tuberculosis in the last period for which figures are available.

(104380)

773
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans she has for information campaigns to tackle (a) obesity, (b) smoking, (c) teenage pregnancy, (d) hepatitis and (e) sexually transmitted disease.

(104381)

774
Dr Andrew Murrison (Westbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many x-ray facilities for tuberculosis screening (a) there are and (b) are planned at ports and airports other than Heathrow and Gatwick.

(104382)

775
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding (a) in total and (b) per capita was allocated to each primary care trust (PCT) in England; what the outturn expenditure was in each case; and what the population density is in each PCT area.

(106119)

776
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether her Department has assessed the effects of gastric complaints on absence from work.

(105932)

777
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new instructions have been issued to those responsible for procuring (a) software and (b) hardware under the Connecting for Health programme in the last three months.

(105936)

778
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of staff employed in the top five grades of her Department have (a) a graduate qualification in IT and (b) previous employment as an IT specialist.

(105939)

779
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of the change in the number of ambulance journeys per financial year in Copeland which would result from transferring consultant-led maternity services from West Cumberland Hospital to the Carlisle Infirmary.

(103999)

780
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether she has assessed the impact on the emergency response times of the ambulance service in Copeland of additional journeys to transfer maternity patients from West Cumberland Hospital to Carlisle Infirmary.

(104000)

781
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of ambulances based in Copeland were (a) unavailable due to mechanical breakdown and (b) involved in out-of-county transfers on each day of the 2005-06 financial year.

(104001)

782
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Copeland-based frontline paramedic staff went on stress-related sick leave in the 2005-06 financial year.

(104002)

783
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of emergency response ambulances based in Copeland are over five years old.

(104003)

784
Mr Jamie Reed (Copeland):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions in financial year 2005-06 ambulance stations in Copeland were single manned.

(104004)

785
Mrs Linda Riordan (Halifax):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by primary care trusts on treatments not approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in each year for which figures are available.

(104015)

786
Mrs Linda Riordan (Halifax):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what role special exception committees within primary care trusts have in approving NHS treatments.

(104016)

787
Mrs Linda Riordan (Halifax):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many primary care trusts have special exception committees; what (a) clinical and (b) financial guidance is given to special exception committees; and by what organisation.

(104017)

788
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate she has made of the number of midwives needed throughout the NHS; how many are employed in the NHS in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire; what steps she (i) is taking, (ii) plans to take and (iii) has considered to reduce the shortage of midwives; and if she will make a statement.

(103132)

789
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what warning she has issued to general practitioners about the possibility of the spread of Pseudamphistomum truncatum to humans.

(103871)

790
Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action has been taken to secure the proposed NHS patient database against computer hacking and other data theft.

(103958)

791
Mr Andrew Smith (Oxford East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what preparations her Department is making against the possibility of an influenza pandemic.

(103963)

792
Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses are employed by the (a) Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital, (b) Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and (c) Leicester General Hospital; and how many were employed at each in 1997.

(104257)

793
Sir Peter Soulsby (Leicester South):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors are employed by the Leicester City Primary Care Trust area; and how many were employed in 1997.

(104258)

794
N Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will urge the Managing Director of the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority to reply to the letters of (a) 22nd August and (b) 17th October 2006 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on changes in Worcestershire health service provision.

(103689)

795
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of the electricity used by her Department was generated from (a) renewable sources and (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available.

(106067)

796
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether her Department plans to fund research into (a) myotonic dystrophy and (b) sexually transmitted diseases between 2006 and 2010; and if she will make a statement.

(106068)

797
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether her Department plans to allocate funds to innovative means of educating those not in full time (a) education or (b) training on sexual health; and if she will make a statement.

(106069)

798
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she expects to publish the action plan to reduce waiting times for audiology services referred to in Tackling Hospital Waiting: The 18 Week Patient Pathway; and if she will make a statement.

(105925)

799
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by her Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104438)

800
N David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment she has made of the health effects of the consumption of hydrogenated oils and fats; and if she will make a statement.

(104424)

801
N David Taylor (North West Leicestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions she has had with the Food Standards Agency on the use of hydrogentated oils and fats in food products.

(104429)

802
Mr Ian Taylor (Esher & Walton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints in respect of delays in the payment of death benefits to bereaved relatives of NHS staff who die in service were made against the NHS Business Delivery Authority in the most recent period for which figures are available.

(104459)

803
Mr Ian Taylor (Esher & Walton):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps her Department is taking to extend access to cognitive behavioural therapy across England; and whether one of the planned regional projects will take place in Surrey.

(104460)

804
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will make a statement on the future of accident and emergency services at (a) Northwick Park Hospital and (b) Central Middlesex Hospital.

(105786)

805
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will make a statement on the future of Willesden Community Hospital.

(105787)

806
Sarah Teather (Brent East):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children in Brent with mental health problems were treated on an adult ward in the last period for which figures are available.

(105788)

807
David Tredinnick (Bosworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Government has made in developing a framework for complementary and alternative medicine delivery.

(103818)

808
Mr Edward Vaizey (Wantage):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of people over 65 in (a) Wantage constituency, (b) Oxfordshire and (c) the South East have received an influenza vaccination in the past 12 months.

(105929)

809
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for reconfiguration of NHS services in East Sussex.

(104452)

810
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she is taking to ensure effective public consultation is undertaken on changes to the configuration of NHS services.

(104453)

811
Mr Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will take steps to defer the closure of maternity services on one site in East Sussex Hospitals Trust until public consultation has taken place.

(104515)

812
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communication officers, (c) press officers and (d) promotional officers are employed in her Department; and what estimate she has made of expenditure on communications for the Department is in 2006-07 on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff.

(104222)

813
N Mr David Winnick (Walsall North):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when she will reply to the letter of 23rd October relating to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence from the hon. Member for Walsall North.

(103259)

814
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) strategic health authorities, (b) primary care trusts and (c) hospitals hold the home addresses of expectant mothers; and what account is taken of such information when planning the optimum location of birthing facilities.

(106007)

815
Jeremy Wright (Rugby & Kenilworth):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which commercial organisations have access to the NHS Data Spine; and for what purpose the organisations have access.

(104324)

Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department

816
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104474)

817
Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reasons were for withdrawing funding for the BrakeCare bereavement pack in 2007; and what related services for road crash victims are available.

(103815)

818
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many letters the Immigration and Nationality Directorate received from hon. Members in each of the last 12 months; how many such letters were responded to (a) within 10 days of receipt, (b) within 20 days of receipt and (c) after 20 days from the date of receipt; and if he will make a statement.

(106038)

819
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on which alleged terrorist cases involving (a) Muslims and (b) non-Muslims his Department has briefed the media in the last 12 months.

(104239)

820
N Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals who have not been charged or convicted in UK courts are held in prison under anti-terror laws; and what the nationality is of each prisoner.

(104383)

821
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers were deported after having completed a community service order in each of the last five years.

(104542)

822
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of those given community service orders were failed asylum seekers in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(104543)

823
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convicted criminals whose unpaid work requirements were completed early after good progress between (a) April 2006 and June 2006 and (b) April 2005 and March 2006 have subsequently (i) broken the terms of their licence and (ii) been charged with a crime.

(104544)

824
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will list the crimes of those convicted criminals whose unpaid work requirements were completed early after good progress between (a) April 2005 and March 2006 and (b) April 2006 and June 2006.

(104545)

825
Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many parenting orders requiring parents to attend parenting classes have been made to residents of (a) Hendon and (b) Barnet in the last three years; how many parents in (i) Hendon and (ii) Barnet have attended parenting classes voluntarily in the same period; and if he will make a statement.

(103765)

826
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has provided financial support to Liberty in each of the last three years.

(104206)

827
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish his Department's research on the merits of contracting-out more of the probation budget.

(105887)

828
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria are taken into account by the National Offender Management Service in deciding to award a contract to a non-public sector trust.

(105888)

829
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which organisations supported the creation of the National Offender Management Service in the recent consultation.

(105889)

830
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many and what percentage of cases of Police Unsatisfactory Performance Complaints and Misconduct Procedures a dispensation has been (a) sought and (b) granted for delay in accordance with Section II, Appendix B, paragraph 6 of the Guidance on Police Unsatisfactory Performance Complaints and Misconduct Procedures.

(103763)

831
Mr Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what rules apply to the administration of heavy vehicle recovery schemes where local police constabularies make arrangements to recover lorries at the roadside.

(103817)

832
Mr Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding will be made available to regional offender managers under the National Offender Management Service for the financial year 2007-08.

(106166)

833
Mr Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what changes he expects in the number of probation officers required under the offender management model of supervision.

(106167)

834
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Assets Recovery Agency recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104277)

835
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national prisoners were held in each prison in Wales on 23rd November, broken down by nationality.

(104551)

836
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women with a home address in Wales were (a) held on remand and (b) serving prison sentences on 23rd November, broken down by (i) prison and (ii) age.

(105789)

837
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners in Wales who may be entitled to compensation for having drug substitution treatment withdrawn on entry to prison.

(106104)

838
N Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of assaults on (a) Christians, (b) Jews, (c) Muslims, (d) Hindus, (e) Sikhs and (f) members of other faith groups that have taken place during the past five years.

(103270)

839
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were convicted of (a) causing death through careless driving when under the influence of (i) drink and (ii) drugs, (b) driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above limit and (c) being in charge of a vehicle when unfit through the influence of drink in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(104393)

840
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hit and run incidents led to an individual being convicted in each police force area in each of the last eight years.

(104410)

841
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the owner of a vehicle which has been involved in an accident whilst unattended is required to present his or her driving licence to the police; and if he will make a statement.

(104262)

842
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his most recent estimate is of the cost of policing the Olympic sites; and if he will make a statement.

(104504)

843
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what basis the Government's decision to waive its opt-out on Council Decision 2006/719/EC on the accession of the Community to the Hague Conference on Private International Law was made; and if he will make a statement.

(104508)

844
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105762)

845
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106151)

846
N Nick Herbert (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of security arrangements ar Ford Prison.

(103792)

847
N Nick Herbert (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward the security audit of Ford Prison scheduled for February 2007 as a matter of urgency.

(103793)

848
Nick Herbert (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost has been of the trial schemes of a national non-emergency telephone number; and when he plans to publish a report of the trials.

(105973)

849
Nick Herbert (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress is being made in establishing a national non-emergency telephone number.

(105974)

850
Nick Herbert (Arundel & South Downs):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total annual cost would have been of an increase in police pay of 2.2 per cent. as proposed by the Official Side; and what the cost will be of the 3 per cent. the Police Arbitration Panel awarded.

(105975)

851
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of those convicted of bladed article offences and sentenced to imprisonment in England and Wales received sentences of (a) up to six months, (b) six to 12 months, (c) 12 to 18 months and (d) 18 to 24 months in each of the last five years.

(104367)

852
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the intended presumption of deportation of foreign nationals who are convicted of criminal offences with the Human Rights Act 1998.

(104394)

853
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legislation governs the making and distribution of pornographic text describing the abuse of children; and if he will make a statement.

(104540)

854
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he will take to ensure that victims of paedophiles have access to ongoing victim support services; and if he will make a statement.

(105878)

855
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legislation governs the making and distribution of indecent images, which are not photographs, of children; and if he will make a statement.

(105879)

856
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what statutory provisions authorise the taking of roadside fingerprint tests.

(104497)

857
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to whom fingerprint records obtained at roadside tests will be made available.

(104498)

858
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what statutory provisions persons who refuse roadside fingerprint tests may be required to attend police stations for their identity to be verified.

(104499)

859
Mr David Jones (Clwyd West):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what protocols his Department is putting in place to ensure that fingerprints taken at roadside tests are permanently deleted from police computer systems.

(104500)

860
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 16th October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mrs Carmen Nesbeth.

(105795)

861
Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 3rd October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr M. L Ullaha.

(105796)

862
N Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 25th July 2006 from the hon. Member for Richmond Park on a Freedom of Information request by a constituent Ms Konstam (Home Office reference P1053608).

(104156)

863
N Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to incorporate lower and medium-sized frauds, other than credit and debit card fraud and internet fraud, in the British Crime Survey.

(104158)

864
N Susan Kramer (Richmond Park):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letters of (a) 6th September 2006 and (b) 1st November 2006 from the hon. Member for Richmond Park on the case of Abioseh Daphlile Davies (Home Office reference 10-05-1986).

(104159)

865
Ian Lucas (Wrexham):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU citizens have been deported from the UK pursuant to section 3(5)b of the Immigration Act 1971 in the last 12 months.

(105785)

866
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Category D prisoners over the age of 70 years are serving sentences in jails in England and Wales.

(104445)

867
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Category D prisoners over the age of 70 are not considered for parole because of the severity of their original offence; for how long, on average, those prisoners have served; and what assessment has been made of the danger to the public of the release on licence of each prisoner.

(104449)

868
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalties were issued in each of the last five years; for what offences such penalties were issued; in what circumstances the victims are consulted before a fixed penalty is issued; and what percentage of fixed penalty fines were paid in each year.

(104490)

869
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cautions have been issued in each of the last five years; for what categories of offences cautions were issued; and whether cautions can be repeated for the same offence.

(104491)

870
Mr Patrick McLoughlin (West Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prisoners absconded from Sudbury Prison in each month since 1st January; what category of offences had been committed by each of these prisoners; what the term of the prison sentence was in each case; on what date each absconded; and whether the prisoner remains at large in each case.

(104295)

871
Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what lessons were learned from the aborted airline plot of August 2006; and if he will make a statement.

(103709)

872
Patrick Mercer (Newark):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information he has on which countries have banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

(103710)

873
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104181)

874
Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any people suspected of participation in the Rwandan genocide have been detained in England and Wales in the last six months.

(105827)

875
Mr Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Rwandan authorities on the potential for extradition to Rwanda of people suspected of participation in the Rwandan genocide.

(105828)

876
N Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether specific information about a crime obtained during a British Crime Survey may be passed to the police by the person carrying out a survey.

(103133)

877
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) special constables and (b) farm, horse, country and poacher watch schemes were in place in rural counties in England and Wales in each year from 1997.

(106120)

878
N Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were granted asylum on grounds of religious persecution in each year since 1997.

(103791)

879
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of staff employed in the top five grades of his Department have (a) a graduate qualification in IT and (b) previous employment as an IT specialist.

(105940)

880
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of gun crimes in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

(103272)

881
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many gun crimes were committed in (a) England and Wales and (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available.

(103273)

882
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the percentage of heroin trafficked into the United Kingdom in 2005-06 which came through Scotland.

(105985)

883
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of asylum seekers who arrived in the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2006 now reside in Scotland.

(105986)

884
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the percentage of asylum seekers who arrived in the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2006 who now reside in Wales.

(106077)

885
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the Community Call for Action will be implemented.

(103853)

886
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what parts of the United Kingdom the national single non-emergency number is available; and what funding is available for the continued availability of the number in these areas.

(103908)

887
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost has been of introducing the 101 non-emergency national number.

(103914)

888
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

(103915)

889
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the national single non-emergency number will be available throughout England and Wales.

(103916)

890
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have produced on police officers commenting on (i) local elections and (ii) local party political issues.

(104069)

891
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role local authorities will play in the (a) administration and (b) populating of the National Identity Card and National Identity Register.

(104076)

892
N Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he will reply to the letter of 12th September 2006 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

(103690)

893
N Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to find child abusers who have access to children through (a) education and (b) the church; and if he will make a statement.

(103269)

894
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from (a) renewable sources and (b) on-site micro-generation facilities during the last period for which figures are available.

(106070)

895
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices were issued in Essex for using hand-held (a) mobile telephones and (b) other electronic devices when driving a motor vehicle in each year since the offence was introduced.

(106071)

896
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes were committed on (a) buses and (b) trains in London in each of the last five years, broken down by type of crime.

(106072)

897
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the escape of Mark Ryder from HMP Highpoint.

(103711)

898
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign prisoners are awaiting deportation; and what the average length of time is for which such prisoners have been waiting.

(104023)

899
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104440)

900
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much his Department has spent on the series on community policing Beat: Life On The Street.

(104454)

901
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received from the BBC requesting permission to film community support officers.

(104455)

902
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of (a) convicted prisoners in each prison in England and Wales, (b) remand prisoners and (c) remand prisoners under control orders are Muslim; and what percentage of re-offenders were Muslim in the latest period for which figures are available.

(103816)

903
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding his Department provided to the Women's National Commission to carry out research on Muslim women's attitude to becoming more active in their comunities.

(104346)

904
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances individuals will have their fingerprints scanned by electronic hand-held devices.

(104432)

905
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has finalised the guidance on the use of stop and search under the Terrorism Act 2000.

(104433)

906
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation of the Preventing Extremism Together report on improving data collection on Muslim communities through faith monitoring; and whether he has plans to conduct faith monitoring of other religious groups.

(105829)

907
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104224)

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

908
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost was of the State Opening of Parliament 2006, broken down by (a) building maintenance, (b) extra security expense and (c) other costs; and if he will make a statement.

(103762)

909
Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Gateshead East & Washington West):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the House's (a) heating and (b) lighting bills were in 2005-06; what assessment the Commission has made of the feasibility of introducing smart systems to reduce energy consumption; and if he will make a statement.

(104413)

910
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much has been spent on paintings and photographs of hon. Members in the current Parliament displayed on the House estate in the last five years.

(105935)

911
Stephen Williams (Bristol West):To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress has been made on plans to offset the carbon dioxide emissions produced by overseas select committee visits.

(105988)

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development

912
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104472)

913
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the work being undertaken in Latin America by the World Bank.

(106105)

914
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid was given to countries in Latin America in each year since 2000, broken down by country.

(106111)

915
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Department's offices in Latin America will be maintained; and if he will make a statement.

(106112)

916
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether bilateal aid to Latin America will continue in its existing (a) form and (b) scale over the next three years.

(106113)

917
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the level of funding allocated to Latin American countries in 2006-07 will be maintained; and if he will make a statement.

(106114)

918
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he is taking to promote the prevention of parent-to-child transmission of HIV in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

(105942)

919
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress has been made towards the 2010 target of HIV treatment for all; and if he will make a statement.

(106048)

920
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the (a) availability of and (b) access to (i) Kaletra and (ii) Viread in (A) sub-Saharan Africa, (B) Central Asia and (C) Latin America; and if he will make a statement.

(106054)

921
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he plans to take in response to the recent joint United Nations and World Health Organisation report on HIV; and what representations he plans to make to those countries which have seen the greatest recent (a) increase and (b) decrease in cases of HIV.

(104399)

922
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of the A9 road to Jaffna on the delivery of food aid in Sri Lanka; and what representations he has made regarding reopening the road.

(104550)

923
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will withhold the UK's contribution to the World Bank until the fundamental reforms agreed at the G8 Summit have been implemented.

(103799)

924
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support he is giving to the World Food Programme's food aid provision in the Horn of Africa.

(103419)

925
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional aid he plans to make available to Eastern Sudan following the peace agreement.

(105890)

926
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance his Department has provided to the Beja people of Eastern Sudan to combat (a) food insecurity, (b) child mortality and (c) gender inequality.

(105891)

927
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans he has for mine clearance in the East of Sudan.

(105892)

928
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many jobs in his Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

(103091)

929
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Malawi received from (a) his Department and (b) British charities in each of the last five years.

(104536)

930
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the UK has given in financial aid to South Africa since the ending of apartheid.

(104538)

931
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105765)

932
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106145)

933
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104165)

934
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from (a) renewable sources and (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available.

(104322)

935
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104355)

Questions to the Leader of the House

936
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Leader of the House, whether the Privy Council Office recognises the International GCSE as an alternative to the GCSE where this is a qualification relevant to a post in the Office being advertised.

(103808)

937
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Leader of the House, how much his Office paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104176)

938
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Leader of the House, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in the Privy Council Office (PCO); and what the total expenditure on communications for the PCO was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104361)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

939
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many traffic control attendants are employed by the Department for Regional Development Roads Service in Northern Ireland.

(102477)

940
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many members of ethnic minorities are serving as permanent full-time police officers in Northern Ireland.

(102478)

941
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the offshore wind farm proposals for the Tunes Plateau near Portstewart has (a) been amended and (b) progressed over the last 12 months.

(104009)

942
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average amount of outstanding debt owed by (a) tenants and (b) past tenants of the Northern Ireland Executive was at the end of 2005, broken down by district council.

(104010)

943
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

(104011)

944
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people who claimed to be entitled to free prescriptions in 2005 were subsequently (a) found not to be so entitled and (b) successfully prosecuted.

(104012)

945
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he expects all recipients of the winter fuel payment in Northern Ireland to have received their payments for 2006-07.

(104013)

946
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans there are to promote the water-based tourist potential of the River Bann at Coleraine.

(104020)

947
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people (a) applied and (b) were subsequently accepted as homeless in each of the Housing Executive district offices in Northern Ireland in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

(104021)

948
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in Northern Ireland with legislation aimed at reducing knife crime.

(104022)

949
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he expects the Department of Regional Development to start work on site to provide multi storey car parking in Coleraine.

(104149)

950
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will give consideration to Ballykelly Army Base's topography and proximity to Eglinton Airport in determining a suitable location for the proposed Police Training College in Northern Ireland.

(104150)

951
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what account will be taken in the assessment of domestic planning applications by the Planning Service in Northern Ireland which include energy efficient measures.

(104162)

952
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on the acquisition of a site for the new Dromore Central Primary School.

(103800)

953
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what bids he has made for Northern Ireland to host events during the 2012 Olympic Games.

(103801)

954
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timescale is for the commencement of the improvement schemes at the junctions of (a) Dromore Road, Hillsborough with the A1 dual carriageway and (b) Bunbridge Road, Dromore with the A1 dual carriageway.

(103802)

955
N Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much has been spent on environmental improvement schemes in each district council area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

(103803)

956
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(104576)

957
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106153)

958
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to introduce serious crime prevention orders in Northern Ireland.

(104337)

959
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of those convicted of the possession of knives or bladed articles in Northern Ireland received (a) a fine, (b) a community order, (c) a conditional discharge and (d) a custodial sentence in each of the last five years.

(104368)

960
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help first time homebuyers in Northern Ireland.

(104369)

961
Lady Hermon (North Down):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what percentage of those convicted of the possession of knives or bladed articles in Northern Ireland who were sentenced to custody received sentences between (a) six and 12 months, (b) 12 and 18 months and (c) 18 and 26 months in each of the last five years.

(104370)

962
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much INVEST Northern Ireland has spent in the constituency of Belfast West in each year since April 2002.

(105911)

963
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much INVEST Northern Ireland has spent in Belfast West constituency to support business improvement, trade development and knowledge management projects in each year since April 2002.

(105912)

964
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage financial assistance provided by INVEST Northern Ireland was spent in Belfast West constituency in each year since April 2002 as part of the Targeting Social Need initiative.

(105913)

965
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many first-time inward-investment projects were located in Belfast West constituency in each year since April 2002.

(105914)

966
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many inward-investment visits were arranged by INVEST Northern Ireland in Belfast West constituency in each year since April 2002.

(105915)

967
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many inward-investment sponsored jobs have been lost in Belfast West constituency since April 2004.

(105916)

968
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many jobs INVEST Northern Ireland has created in Belfast West in each year since since April 2002.

(105917)

969
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many jobs the former Industrial Development Board created in Belfast West in (a) 1992 to 1997 and (b) 1997 to 2001.

(105918)

970
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much financial assistance has been given in the form of selective financial assistance by INVEST Northern Ireland to (a) encourage the start-up and growth of local and foreign owned business in Belfast West and (b) attract investment into Belfast West in each year since April 2002.

(105919)

971
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department spent on West Belfast owned businesses to implement growth plans through the development of markets outside Northern Ireland in each year since April 2002.

(105920)

972
Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what total amount of INVEST Northern Ireland financial assistance was given to Trvirix before its closure in 2005; and whether INVEST Northern Ireland has conducted an inquiry into the closure.

(105923)

973
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104184)

974
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the percentage of asylum seekers who arrived in the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2006 that now reside in Northern Ireland.

(106076)

975
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of how many school leavers in Scotland have opted to attend university education in Northern Ireland.

(106078)

976
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what percentage of Northern Ireland's gross domestic product is made up of income generated by tourism.

(106080)

977
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what use the Valuation and Lands Agency makes of the techniques of (a) variography and (b) similarity matrices for valuation purposes.

(104109)

978
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what use the Valuation & Lands Agency and its contracted partners make of (a) aerial photography, (b) oblique aerial photography, (c) digital mapping, (d) satellite photography and (e) pictometry in the Northern Ireland domestic rates revaluation.

(104110)

979
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the estimated cost of the transitional relief scheme for the rates revaluation is in each year of operation.

(104111)

980
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of households not on housing benefit who will pay (a) more and (b) less under the new discrete capital values system of local taxation.

(104112)

981
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether a material change to a domestic property without a change to the ownership of the property will result in a change to the domestic rates bill under the new system for local government finance in Northern Ireland.

(104113)

982
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what foreign visits have been undertaken by Valuation and Lands Agency staff on official business in the last 12 months.

(104114)

983
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment the Government has made of whether Northern Ireland domestic rates revaluation is compliant with human rights legislation.

(104115)

984
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when the Valuation and Lands Agency expects to commence work on the next domestic rates revaluation in Northern Ireland.

(104116)

985
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how the domestic rates revaluation transitional relief scheme is being funded.

(104117)

986
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department uses an internal traffic light or colour-coded system in relation to written Parliamentary questions; and whether his Department grades or classifies written Parliamentary questions according to their (a) political sensitivity or (b) potential for embarrassment.

(104118)

987
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total estimated one-off restructuring costs are for the local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland.

(104119)

988
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of households will experience seeing (a) an increase by one per cent. or more, (b) a decrease by one per cent. or more and (c) no change, before the application of transitional relief, as a result of the rates revaluation in (i) Northern Ireland as a whole and (ii) each district area.

(104120)

989
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the estimated total cost of the Northern Ireland rates revaluation is in (a) absolute terms and (b) per house valued.

(104121)

990
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentations to the July 2006 Commonwealth Heads of Valuation Agencies Conference made by (a) the Valuation and Lands Agency's (i) Nigel Woods, (ii) David Rainey and (iii) Alan Bronte, (b) the Senior Representative of the Northern Ireland government and (c) Brian McClure of the Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel.

(104122)

991
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will place in the Library a copy of the documentation produced by the Valuation and Lands Agency for the joint project with Belfast City Council on the provision of full survey details on all changes to properties.

(104123)

992
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many complaints of the illegal dumping of waste the Environment and Heritage Service received in each year since 2003-04.

(104124)

993
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what (a) geo-spatial and (b) geo-demographic datasets have been purchased by the Valuation and Lands Agency from external sources in the last five years.

(104125)

994
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the impact of extending business rate relief to sub-post offices in Northern Ireland on (a) equality and (b) targeting social need.

(104126)

995
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the proposed cap on domestic rates announced at the St. Andrews' summit will be a cap on (a) yearly percentage increases in the Equivalent Tax Rate and (b) the maximum bill that can be levied; and from what budget it will be funded.

(104127)

996
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether double glazing is a site positive property attribute in the Valuation and Lands Agency's Automated Valuation Model.

(104128)

997
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what databases owned by the Valuation and Lands Agency are managed (a) internally and (b) by external consultants.

(104129)

998
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many neighbourhood geo-codes there are in Northern Ireland for the purposes of the domestic rates revaluation.

(104130)

999
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the capital-based element of the new system of domestic water bills will vary according to the location of the property irrespective of the cost of providing water.

(104131)

1000
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what (a) central and (b) regional funding the Government is providing to local councils to assist with the costs of the local government reorganisation.

(104132)

1001
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of domestic properties in Northern Ireland are classified by the Valuation and Lands Agency with property attribute codes of (a) SG-Wood, (b) SG-PVC, (c) SG-Metal, (d) DG-Wood, (e) DG-PVC and (f) DG-Metal.

(104133)

1002
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much the Valuation and Lands Agency has spent on its Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal system.

(104134)

1003
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if the Government will publish the business case for local government reorganisation in Northern Ireland.

(104135)

1004
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government plans to continue to increase the council and the regional rate of domestic rates by six per cent. prior to the restoration of devolved government in future financial years after 2007-08.

(104136)

1005
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, where each of his official residences is located; and what the annual running cost is of each residence.

(104137)

1006
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Northern Ireland domestic rates revaluation is planned to be revenue-neutral once transitional relief is phased out.

(104138)

1007
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the co-efficient value of values given to the property attribute for conservation area are in the Valuation and Land Agency's calibrated Multiple Regression formula used in the domestic rates revaluation in Northern Ireland.

(104217)

1008
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the co-efficient value of values given to each of the property attributes for (a) window glazing, (b) gardens, (c) garage spaces and (d) off-street parking spaces are in the Valuation and Land Agency's calibrated Multiple Regression formula used in the domestic rates revaluation in Northern Ireland.

(104218)

1009
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104356)

Questions to the Prime Minister

1010
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Prime Minister, whether it his policy that no authorisation will be given for the interception of communications in respect of (a) hon. Members and (b) Members of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement.

(103388)

1011
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Prime Minister, which members of the Allawi family have visited Downing Street since 1st January 2006.

(103716)

1012
N Mr Simon Burns (West Chelmsford):To ask the Prime Minister, whether the Ministerial Code of Conduct applies to Ministers notifying hon. Members when visiting their constituency for purposes other than Ministerial engagements; and if he will make a statement.

(102628)

1013
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Prime Minister, how much his Office paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104173)

1014
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Prime Minister, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Office; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Office was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104225)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland

1015
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(104577)

1016
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106152)

1017
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104172)

1018
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104359)

Questions to the Solicitor General

1019
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Solicitor General, how many cases have been handled to the Crown Prosecution Service by police for prosecution in the last five years; and how many resulted in a prosecution being initiated.

(104546)

1020
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Solicitor General, whether (a) the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) HM Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and (c) the Serious Fraud Office recognise the international GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purpose of recruitment.

(104297)

1021
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Solicitor General, what the budget was for the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

(104492)

1022
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Solicitor General, where the Crown Prosecution Service has visited on its national tour to areas with high Muslim populations to explain and demystify the anti-terrior legislation; where else it will be visiting; and when the tour will conclude.

(104328)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

1023
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104475)

1024
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what proportion of the Medical Research Council's funding in each of the last five years was spent on research into pain management.

(106047)

1025
N Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many post offices there are in Northern Ireland, broken down by category.

(104163)

1026
Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps he has taken to promote the use of smart meters in households to measure power consumption in real-time.

(103820)

1027
Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what response he has made to the report, Unlocking the Power House, on prospects for deployment of microgeneration technology, by the Economic and Social Research Council.

(103822)

1028
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what factors his Department took into account when deciding to agree to the location of the new fusion experimental reactor in France.

(104205)

1029
N Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the minimum nuclear generating capacity is that his Department plans to have in place in (a) 2010, (b) 2015, (c) 2020 and (d) 2025.

(103253)

1030
N Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much his Department has provided to the electromagnetic relativity drive design proposed by Roger Shawyer; and from what budget funding has been drawn.

(103254)

1031
N Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, when the budget of the National Consumer Council for 2006-07 will be finalised; and if he will make a statement.

(103258)

1032
N Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what he expects the National Consumer Council's budget to be for 2006-07.

(103261)

1033
N Mr Alan Duncan (Rutland & Melton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many meetings he and his Ministers have had in the last 12 months with (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (b) HM Treasury on the promotion of (i) decentralised energy and (ii) combined heat and power technologies.

(103262)

1034
N Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many jobs in his Department have been relocated (a) to Liverpool and (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

(103089)

1035
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether (a) the Postal Services Commission, (b) the Export Credits Guarantee Department, (c) the Office of Rail Regulation, (d) the Office of Fair Trading, (e) UK Trade and Investment, (f) the Office of Water Services and (g) the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets recognise the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

(104278)

1036
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many sites in the UK are being considered for the storage of nuclear waste.

(104569)

1037
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much energy from wind power is being directed to the National Grid.

(105875)

1038
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what his policy is on optimizing S band spectrum space.

(104240)

1039
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if the Government will review the process for allocating S band spectrum.

(104241)

1040
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations he has received on the allocation of S Band spectrum space in the last 12 months.

(104260)

1041
Mr Greg Hands (Hammersmith & Fulham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on the allocation of S Band spectrum space.

(104261)

1042
Mr John Hayes (South Holland & The Deepings):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which (a) military and (b) other devices are affected by Commission Decision 2006/771/EC, OJL312 of 11th November 2006, on hrmonisation of the radio spectrum for use by short range devices; whether a permit system will follow; what representations he has received from the toy industry on this Decision; what the role was of his Department in reaching this Decision; what opportunities for auctioning band width will follow; and if he will make a statement.

(104509)

1043
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(104579)

1044
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many sub-post offices there were in each constituency in (a) 1999 and (b) 2005, listed in descending order of the change in the number of sub-post offices between the two dates.

(105779)

1045
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what percentage of employees who took their employers to an industrial tribunal under the Equal Pay Act 1970 in the last five years had their complaint upheld.

(103748)

1046
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many employers were taken to a tribunal under the Equal Pay Act 1970 in each of the last five years.

(103749)

1047
Stephen Hesford (Wirral West):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research his Department has undertaken on how businesses assess the level of gender equity amongst the pay of their employees.

(103750)

1048
N Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what progress has been made with the sale of (a) Westinghouse, (b) the Tote and (c) part of British Energy.

(103632)

1049
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the value was of UK exports to Iran in each year since 1997; and what percentage of all UK exports each figure represents.

(104392)

1050
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the energy used in making safe an out-of-service nuclear power station and its associated nuclear waste has been factored into estimates of (a) its carbon impact and (b) its costs relative to other forms of energy.

(104396)

1051
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton North):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what incentives he plans to introduce to promote micro-generation of electricity.

(104425)

1052
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations he has received on the regionalisation of Business Link.

(105800)

1053
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104182)

1054
Mr George Mudie (Leeds East):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps his Department is taking to help recoup the funds of those who saved with Farepak; and if he will make a statement.

(105894)

1055
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, whether the Government plans to change the consumers' rights to request the relevant Migration Authorisation Code in the event of unsatisfactory service by an internet service provider.

(105933)

1056
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps he is taking to ensure that all communities are served by bank branches and services; and if he will make a statement.

(105822)

1057
Mr Andy Reed (Loughborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps he is taking to assist hydrogen fuel cell technology research and development; and if he will make a statement.

(105823)

1058
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what recent discussions he has had with engineering companies on the opportunities for doing business in Africa; and if he will make a statement.

(104285)

1059
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what the average domestic (a) electricity and (b) gas bill was in England in each year since 1996-97.

(104107)

1060
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, which local authorities use microgeneration programmes to power council facilities (a) wholly and (b) partly.

(104321)

1061
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104439)

1062
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104357)

1063
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what plans he has to extend the powers and responsibilities of regional development agencies; and if he will make a statement.

(104141)

1064
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, how many companies have received the assistance of the North East Productivity Alliance's Best Practice Team (NEPA); in what (a) locations, (b) industries and (c) fields the companies assisted by NEPA were based; what assessment he has made of NEPA's effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

(104226)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport

1065
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104469)

1066
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that foreign hauliers contribute towards the environmental costs of their work in the UK.

(104570)

1067
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the distance-based charging system for foreign hauliers.

(104571)

1068
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure foreign drivers of foreign registered vehicles are adequately insured to drive in the UK.

(104572)

1069
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of digital tachographs in preventing owners of foreign vehicles from infringing the Working Time Directive.

(104573)

1070
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what penalties can be imposed on owners of foreign vehicles who commit traffic offences in the UK.

(105824)

1071
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of new powers given to police in dealing with owners of foreign vehicles committing traffic offences in the UK.

(105825)

1072
Mr Ian Austin (Dudley North):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many hauliers have been prosecuted for infringements of the Working Time Directive in (a) the West Midlands and (b) the UK in the last 12 months.

(105826)

1073
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what aircraft crashes there have been in England in each of the last five years; which of these involved a Cessna 206 aircraft; and in which cases there were resulting fatalities.

(103385)

1074
N Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) members of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and (b) other individuals involved in the investigation of the crash of a Cessna 206 aircraft in June 2004 which resulted in the death of Dr Paul Norman; and what contact there has been between officials in his Department and officials from the Ministry of Defence on this crash.

(103387)

1075
Mr Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive about reciprocal arrangements for cross-border use of national pensionsers' bus passes; and what the outcome has been.

(103730)

1076
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on helicopter noise; and if he will make a statement.

(106035)

1077
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to undertake a review of helicopter movements and noise in London in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

(106036)

1078
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to implement those recommendations of the London Assembly's recent Environmental Committee Report, London in a Spin - A review of helicopter noise, which fall within his responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

(106037)

1079
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of his Department's budget was allocated to railway transportation in each of the last five years.

(104541)

1080
Philip Davies (Shipley):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much public money was spent per head of population on rail services in each region of the UK in each of the last five years.

(105874)

1081
N Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will urgently investigate the reliability of the 125 fleet on the Great Western lines; and what discussions he has had with First Great Western on its refurbishment and replacement programme.

(103257)

1082
N Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been (a) allocated and (b) spent on the Crossrail project, broken down by financial year.

(103422)

1083
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total construction cost was of each Design, Build, Finance and Operate road; what the expected total cost of each contract is to public funds; and by what year all such costs are expected to have been paid in each case.

(104403)

1084
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which projects valued at more than £100 million are under consideration by his Department.

(104404)

1085
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which (a) sites of special scientific interest, (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty, (c) national parks and (d) internationally designated sites will be affected by roads schemes approved in the (i) targeted programme of improvements, (ii) local transport plans and (iii) Community Infrastructure Fund.

(104405)

1086
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which schemes have been funded by (a) the Community Infrastructure, (b) Growth Area and (c) Growth Point Funds since each fund's inception; how much each scheme cost; and which of the schemes are (i) public, (ii) road and (iii) other transport schemes.

(104406)

1087
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his most recent estimate is of the additional carbon dioxide generated by road schemes in the targeted programme of improvements in the opening year of the programme.

(104407)

1088
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains of each train company were cancelled in the last 12 months; how many of those trains were cancelled (a) before reaching their final destination and (b) before departure; and what the reason was for each cancellation.

(104408)

1089
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents involving one or more hit and run (a) drivers and (b) riders there were in each police force area in each year from 1997 to 2004; and how many (i) fatalities, (ii) serious injuries and (iii) other injuries resulted from those accidents.

(104409)

1090
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many railway stations (a) obtained secure station status, (b) had secure status withdrawn and (c) did not seek secure station status re-accreditation in the latest period for which figures are available.

(104411)

1091
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were cancelled because of vandalism on the tracks (a) in each region and (b) by each train operating company in each year since 1997.

(104412)

1092
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Department's budget is for security improvements at British airports in 2006-07.

(105773)

1093
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of freight carried by rail.

(105819)

1094
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(104580)

1095
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106150)

1096
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a statement on the removal of buffet bar mark III coaches on First Great Western services; and what assessment he has made of the partial implications for comfort during long distance travel.

(104140)

1097
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the minimum train service requirement to (a) Bristol and (b) the West Country is under the Greater Western Franchise; and what changes in service levels there have been since the previous franchise.

(104144)

1098
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what operating revenue First Great Western is making on its service from London Paddington to Swansea for the most recent period for which figures are available.

(104145)

1099
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent passenger counts First Great Western have undertaken to South Wales services; and with what results.

(104146)

1100
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what First Great Western Trains' public service requirements are in relation to peak time services provision between Cardiff Central and Swansea during 5 pm to 6 pm.

(104147)

1101
Mrs Siân C. James (Swansea East):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what maximum journey times the Greater Western franchise agreement standards includes for services between London Paddington to Swansea; what the average length of journey time is on this route; and what that length of time was during the last two years of operation by British Rail.

(104148)

1102
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the financial stability of rail franchises.

(104506)

1103
Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, why the service level commitment for the Greater Western Franchise excludes (a) Wargrave and Shiplake on the Henley-on-Thames line and (b) Cookham on the Marlow line.

(104302)

1104
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104171)

1105
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of drivers in Cambridgeshire driving without (a) tax, (b) insurance and (c) a driving licence.

(105910)

1106
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken to improve the condition of the (a) A12 and (b) A127.

(105980)

1107
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many speed cameras are in place in each London borough.

(105981)

1108
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many speed cameras there are in Romford; and what percentage this represents of the total number of speed cameras in the London Borough of Havering.

(105982)

1109
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many speed cameras are in place on the (a) A12 and (b) A127.

(105983)

1110
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost has been of improvements to the (a) A12 and (b) A127 since 1997.

(105984)

1111
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued on the requirement for local highways authorities to erect cycle road signs on highways.

(103937)

1112
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for a national computer database of persistent parking offenders; and if he will make a statement.

(104077)

1113
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104434)

1114
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104358)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales

1115
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will initiate discussions with the Chinese Ambassador on the prospects for the establishment of a Chinese consulate in Cardiff; and if he will make a statement.

[R] (105944)

1116
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will initiate discussions with the Indian High Commissioner on strengthening the commercial, cultural and educational links between Wales and India; and if he will make a statement.

(105945)

1117
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will initiate discussions with the South African High Commissioner on strengthening the commercial, cultural and educational links between Wales and South Africa; and if he will make a statement.

(105946)

1118
Dr Hywel Francis (Aberavon):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will initiate discussions with the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China on strengthening the commercial, cultural and educational links between Wales and China; and if he will make a statement.

[R] (105950)

1119
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(104575)

1120
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106154)

1121
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104183)

1122
Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library a copy of each Wales Council Tax Revaluation Circular produced by the Valuation Office Agency since January 2003.

(104028)

1123
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104315)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

1124
N Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what level cold weather payments were in each year from 2002-03 to 2006-07; and how many people received cold weather payments in each of these years.

(103275)

1125
N Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising fuel prices on the adequacy of cold weather payments; and if he will make a statement.

(103276)

1126
N Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from which weather stations measurements are taken for the purpose of assessing entitlement to cold weather payments.

(103277)

1127
N Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of climate change on the long-term take-up of cold weather payments.

(103278)

1128
N Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising domestic energy prices on child poverty in (a) summer and (b) winter months.

(103279)

1129
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

(104476)

1130
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the costs of administering the Social Fund were in each of the last 10 years.

(106012)

1131
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria are used to determine whether Social Fund budgeting loans should be awarded.

(106013)

1132
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assistance his Department offers to people who require immediate financial assistance but have been on benefits for less than 36 months.

(106014)

1133
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the ability of families with children in receipt of benefits to make loan repayments to the Social Fund.

(106015)

1134
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the rates of (a) applications for Social Fund discretionary awards by and (b) awards of Social Fund discretionary awards to (i) ethnic minority, (ii) elderly and (iii) other applicants.

(106016)

1135
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which criteria are used to determine whether Social Fund partial cash awards are made.

(106017)

1136
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the Social Fund eligibility criteria to allow people (a) on very low incomes and (b) moving as a result of domestic violence who are in need of immediate support to receive awards under the fund.

(106018)

1137
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how benefits staff (a) interpret and (b) apply the inability to pay criterion in cases where applications for Social Fund loans are rejected on that criterion.

(106019)

1138
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the five most common reasons were for loans from the Social Fund being refused in each of the last 10 years.

(106020)

1139
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Social Fund was set up; and when it began offering loans.

(106021)

1140
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effects on families in receipt of state benefits of (a) making loans and (b) awarding grants under the Social Fund.

(106022)

1141
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many credit recovery agencies were used to help recover defaulted loans from the Social Fund in each of the last 10 years.

(106023)

1142
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent by the Social Fund in attempting to recover payment from defaulting payers.

(106024)

1143
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Social Fund loans were (a) paid back in full and (b) were not paid in full in each of the last 10 years; and what the total value of unpaid loans was in each year.

(106025)

1144
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what was the average Social Fund (a) loan and (b) grant payment was in each year since the Social Fund began.

(106026)

1145
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research his Department has commissioned on the effectiveness in meeting its objectives of the Social Fund in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

(106027)

1146
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individual loans were made by the Social Fund in each year since its inception.

(106028)

1147
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to the Social Fund were refused in each of the last 10 years.

(106029)

1148
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of repayment was for the term of a Social Fund loan in each of the last 10 years.

(106030)

1149
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the repayment rate for Social Fund loans is calculated.

(106031)

1150
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average percentage is of weekly income of families with one or more children in receipt of a Social Fund loan which is spent on repaying Social Fund loans.

(106032)

1151
John Battle (Leeds West):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the Social Fund's ability to help families on low incomes meet minimum income standards.

(106115)

1152
N Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

(102054)

1153
Mr David Cameron (Witney):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the latest estimate is of the number of people who will have received payments from the Financial Assistance scheme by the end of 2006.

(105766)

1154
Mr David Cameron (Witney):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the latest estimate is of the number of people who are eligible for payments from the Financial Assistance Scheme; and how many have received payments from the Scheme.

(105767)

1155
Mr David Cameron (Witney):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what total amount has been paid out by the Financial Assistance Scheme; and what the average payment per beneficiary has been.

(105768)

1156
Mr David Cameron (Witney):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Operational Review of the Financial Assistance Scheme; and what meetings have taken place between ministers and representatives of the Scheme to assess progress.

(105769)

1157
N Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimates were made for the Henshaw Review of the proportion of parents with care whose cases are with the Child Support Agency who would (a) transfer to the new body, (b) establish private arrangements and (c) have no arrangements.

(103268)

1158
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance to blind people.

(104450)

1159
N Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20th November, Official Report, column 22W, on pension schemes, whether the reference to plans encompasses benefits already earned in private sector defined benefit pension schemes.

(103794)

1160
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Social Security Advisory Committee last looked at sufficiency of benefit levels as they apply to claimants (a) overall and (b) living in London; and if he will make a statement.

(105957)

1161
Mr David Hamilton (Midlothian):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Midlothian were claiming incapacity benefit at November 2006.

(104537)

1162
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of calls to his Department and its agencies in each year from 2002-03 to 2006-07 were (a) handled by an adviser, (b) received but abandoned and (c) received an engaged tone, broken down by line of business.

(105808)

1163
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he has responsibility spent on redundancy payments (i) in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available and (ii) in each year since 1997.

(105809)

1164
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the ICT projects in his Department that (a) have been cancelled since 1997 and (b) which remain under review; what the total expenditure was on each project; and which contractors were involved.

(105810)

1165
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants had their benefit claim incorrectly terminated due to being wrongly classified as deceased in each year where figures are available, broken down by benefit; and what total amount of benefit was underpaid as a result.

(105811)

1166
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are employed in the Benefit Simplification Unit.

(105812)

1167
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many qualifying former UK residents living in (a) Greece, (b) Spain, (c) Italy, (d) Malta, (e) Cyprus and (f) Portugal have been in receipt of the winter fuel payments allowance in each year since 1997; and at what cost to public funds.

(105813)

1168
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff employed by his Department had the primary role of reducing (a) benefit fraud and (b) benefit error in each year since the Department was created.

(105814)

1169
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his latest estimate is of the total amount paid in bonus payments to staff at the Child Support Agency in each year since 2001.

(105815)

1170
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his latest estimate is of the total amount spent on programmes and initiatives to reduce (a) benefit fraud and (b) benefit error in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(105816)

1171
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's procedure is for claiming back overpaid state pensions and benefits from the estate of claimants who have died; and if he will make a statement.

(105817)

1172
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the amount of (a) pension credit, (b) housing benefit, (c) income support, (d) jobseeker's allowance, (e) incapacity benefit, (f) council tax benefit and (g) state pension overpaid to deceased claimants in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(105818)

1173
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to his Department of each New Deal programme has been in each year since 2001.

(105899)

1174
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received payment from the Financial Assistance Scheme; and how many payments have been made from the scheme in each month for which figures are available.

(105900)

1175
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his latest estimate is of the total amount his Department has spent on (a) plants and flowers, (b) redecoration, (c) taxis, (d) conferences which were subsequently cancelled, (e) foreign travel by Ministers and (f) press officers in each year since 2001.

(105921)

1176
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) men and (b) women leaving (i) the New Deal for Young People and (ii) New Deal 25 Plus (A) found a sustained job, (B) returned to out-of-work benefit immediately on leaving the programme and (C) returned to out-of-work benefit within 12 months, in each year since each programme was established.

(106010)

1177
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

(105757)

1178
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

(106156)

1179
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which year the Christmas bonus was first paid to those in receipt of qualifying benefits; and what its value was in each year since its introduction in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms using 2004-05 prices.

(103980)

1180
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost of the Christmas bonus payment was in each year since its introduction.

(103981)

1181
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value of the winter fuel payment was in each year since its introduction, in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms using 2004-05 prices.

(103984)

1182
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) between 60 and 79 years and (b) aged 80 years or over qualified for (i) the lower rate and (ii) the upper rate of winter fuel payments in each year since its introduction.

(103985)

1183
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost of the winter fuel payment was in each year since its introduction.

(103986)

1184
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of winter fuel payments were made to recipients in (a) November, (b) December, (c) January and (d) February and after in each year since its introduction.

(103987)

1185
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the total costs of administering the Christmas bonus for pensioners in each year since 1980-81; and if he will make a statement.

(103988)

1186
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the proportion of the target group for the new personal pensions which will be entitled to pension credit in (a) 2040 and (b) 2050; and if he will make a statement.

(103989)

1187
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people saving in the new personal pensions will face withdrawal rates on savings income of (a) over 30 per cent., (b) over 40 per cent. and (c) 100 per cent; and if he will make a statement.

(103990)

1188
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of incapacity related benefits had caring responsibilities in the latest year for which information is available.

(103992)

1189
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on his Department's plans to support carers.

(103993)

1190
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his estimate is of the annual cost of abolishing the overlapping benefit rule for the carers allowance and basic state pension; and if he will make a statement.

(103994)

1191
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's total expenditure on carers was each year since 1990-91 in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms using 2004-05 prices; what the planned expenditure is in 2006-07 in the same terms; and if he will make a statement.

(103995)

1192
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on external consultancy in each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

(104252)

1193
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the most expensive five external consultancy contracts awarded by his Department were in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

(104253)

1194
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total (a) number and (b) cost of bonuses paid to staff at the Child Support Agency were in each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

(104255)

1195
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Bristol East constituency are in receipt of council tax benefit; and how many of those recipients are (a) pensioner and (b) non-pensioner households.

(104266)

1196
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioner households in Bristol East constituency are receiving (a) pension credit and (b) pension savings credit; and what the (i) highest and (ii) average amount awarded is.

(104267)

1197
Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Portsmouth North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are measures in place to prevent Remploy factories employing able-bodied people when there are unemployed disabled people who have the necessary skills.

(106135)

1198
Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Portsmouth North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many housing benefit claimants subject to the single room rent restriction are (a) under and (b) over 21 years old.

(106136)

1199
Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Portsmouth North):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to implement the commitment given in the Welfare Reform Bill's Regulatory Impact Assessment that the Government will review the evaluation findings from the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders for under 25 year olds before finalising proposals for the regulations following from the Bill.

(106137)

1200
Anne Main (St Albans):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the basis was for his Department's decision to undertake trials of the information prescription for cancer patients; where the trials are taking place; and what criteria will be used following the trials to decide whether the scheme should proceed.

(105804)

1201
Anne Milton (Guildford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

(104169)

1202
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of (a) the major health reasons for short absences from work and (b) the extent to which gastric complaints cause such absences.

(105931)

1203
Dr John Pugh (Southport):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of staff employed in the top five grades of his Department have (a) a graduate qualification in IT and (b) previous employment as an IT specialist.

(105938)

1204
N Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to encourage people to fit carbon monoxide detectors in their homes; and if he will make a statement.

(104287)

1205
N Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on progress with reforms to the Child Support Agency.

(102447)

1206
Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley & Holderness):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many debt collection agencies the Child Support Agency has used in the last five years; how much the Agency paid to such companies in each year; and if he will make a statement.

(103997)

1207
Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley & Holderness):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Support Agency takes before referring a case of alleged arrears to a debt collection agency; and if he will make a statement.

(103998)

1208
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the new rate of 15 per cent. of net income will be applied to old Child Support Agency cases which are reassessed.

(103735)

1209
Mr Hugo Swire (East Devon):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

(104437)

1210
Mr Roger Williams (Brecon & Radnorshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available.

(104362)

1211
Ann Winterton (Congleton):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will amend the rules governing the Capping Regulations of the Pension Protection Fund to bring within the remit of the fund those people who took early retirement before April 2005; and if he will make a statement.

(104489)

1212
Mr Iain Wright (Hartlepool):To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make provision for those registered blind and with severe sight problems to receive the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance.

(104228)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

1213
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average waiting time was for a birth registration appointment in each local authority area in 2005-06.

[Transferred] (104457)

1214
Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average length of time between the registration of a birth and the receipt of a first instalment of child benefit was for the year 2005-06, broken down by local authority area.

[Transferred] (104458)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

1215
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what her latest estimate is of the total amount paid to civil servants in end-of-year bonus payments in each year since 2001.

[Transferred] (105807)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

1216
Mr Ben Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding her Department provided to the Women's National Commission to carry out research on Muslim women's attitude to becoming more active in their communities.

[Transferred] (104345)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

1217
Mr David Drew (Stroud):To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will investigate the end-use of portable helipads supplied by Vaughans of Leicester to the government of Sudan.

[Transferred] (105882)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Health

1218
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Prime Minister's Oral Answer to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes of 22nd November 2006, Official Report, column 543, on engagements, to which area she was referring.

[Transferred] (105876)

Questions to the Solicitor General

1219
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Solicitor General, what the role is of designated magistrates courts case workers.

[Transferred] (104481)

© Parliamentary copyright 2006
Revised 27 November 2006