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Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Friday 27 February 2009
(the 'Questions Book')
Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Friday 27 February 2009
This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Friday 27 February 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 Friday 27 February of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper. For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Friday 27 February see Part 2 of this paper.
Questions to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 1
N | Colin Burgon (Elmet): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, on how many occasions since his appointment the Secretary of State has met Richard Hooper to discuss his review of the UK postal services sector; and on what dates. | | (259338) | 2
N | Justine Greening (Putney): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much funding has been distributed to businesses from his Department's Aspire Fund since 19 November 2008; how many companies have received such funding; and how many awards from the fund have been (a) below £100,000, (b) between £100,000 and £299,000, (c) between £300,000 and £499,000, (d) between £500,000 and £749,000, (e) between £750,000 and £999,000, (f) between £1 million and £1.49 million, (g) between £1.5 million and £2 million and (h) over £2 million. | | (259782) | 3
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the practice of pre-pack administration on the creditors and customers of companies which undertake the practice. | | (259870) | 4
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will introduce a ban on the use of animal fur in retail products. | | (259878) | 5
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what discussions his Department has had with the US administration on trade tariffs. | | (259880) | 6
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the level of claims on credit insurance has been in each of the last five years. | | (260018) | 7
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on the pharmaceutical industry; and if he will make a statement. | | (260019) | 8
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what definition of a micro business his Department uses. | | (260058) | 9
N | Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what independent assessment Royal Mail's Pension Fund trustees have commissioned of the projected numbers of new pensioners to the fund between 2010 and 2015. | | (259627) | 10
N | Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what independent assessment Royal Mail pension trustees have commissioned of their fund's deficit projections between 2010 and 2015. | | (259628) | 11
N | Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, upon what independent actuarial analysis the Chairman of the Royal Mail's Pension Fund trustees based her estimate of the 2009 fund deficit. | | (259629) | 12
N | Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many meetings the Chairman of Royal Mail's Pension Fund trustees has had with Ministers and officials in his Department since September 2008; and what matters relating to the Pension Fund were discussed. | | (259630) | 13
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which organisations for which his Department has responsibility and oversight contract with postal service providers other than the Royal Mail; and if he will make a statement. | | (259876) | 14
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259971) | 15
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what support his Department is providing for new business start-ups in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. | | (260160) | 16
N | Mr Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills): To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, when he plans to reply to the letter of 20 February 2009 from the editors of the Birmingham Post, the Birmingham Mail and the Coventry Telegraph on his Department's response to the communiqué from the West Midlands auto industry summit. | | (259308) | Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer 17
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on the economic downturn. | | (259996) | 18
N | Colin Burgon (Elmet): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many days in each tax year individuals with taxable income from UK interests are required to spend outside the UK to qualify for non-resident status; when this figure was last reviewed; what plans he has to review it; and if he will make a statement. | | (259309) | 19
N | Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on availability of mortgages of the affordability calculations used to determine eligibility for a mortgage made by those lenders in which the Government has a significant shareholding. | | (259631) | 20
| Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what restrictions (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Services Authority have placed on the use of public money used to recapitalise British banks to provide loans made by banking subsidiaries of those banks operating outside the United Kingdom. | | (259863) | 21
| Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Financial Services Authority first informed his Department of potential problems arising from the over exposure of British banks to the house lending market. | | (259864) | 22
| Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce legislation to disqualify from holding directorships or board memberships of UK-registered (a) banks and (b) companies all people who have been directors and non-executive board members of (i) Northern Rock, (ii) Bradford and Bingley, (iii) Royal Bank of Scotland and (iv) Halifax Bank of Scotland since 2005. | | (260181) | 23
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the maximum amount of public debt which should be permitted as a percentage of gross domestic product. | | (259881) | 24
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs plans to take to increase levels of compliance by businesses with the national minimum wage. | | (259882) | 25
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his latest estimate is of the amount of compensation which will be paid to Equitable Life policyholders in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. | | (260180) | 26
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice the Bank of England gave his Department in 1997 on the merits of the transfer of regulatory authority for the banking system from the Bank of England to the Financial Services Authority. | | (260029) | 27
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on measures to maintain the target level of inflation. | | (260047) | 28
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what arrangements are in place at the Financial Services Authority for the payment of bonuses to staff; and if he will make a statement. | | (260048) | 29
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what percentage of parliamentary Questions to his Department received a response referring the hon. Member to a website in (a) 2008, (b) 2007 and (c) 2006. | | (260049) | 30
N | John Mason (Glasgow East): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of shortened working hours as a result of the recession on claimants of working tax credits. | | (259218) | 31
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the use of childcare vouchers by people who are self-employed. | | (260055) | 32
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259975) | 33
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 3 November 2008, regarding the Lloyds TSB/HBOS merger sent on behalf of Ryan Collier, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63282/2008. | | (260108) | 34
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 17 November 2008, sent on behalf of Chris Bolton, regarding HM Revenue and Customs, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63353/2008. | | (260109) | 35
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon, of 11 November 2008, regarding Icesave, sent on behalf of Rik Artrill, acknowledged by his Department with the reference PO REF: 1/63121/2008. | | (260110) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 36
N | Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, for what reasons agreements of contracts between Ofsted and inspection contractors have not been reached in accordance with the originally planned timetable. | | (259625) | 37
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of provisions for overtime pay for teachers for activities undertaken outside their contracted hours of employment. | | (259879) | 38
N | Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, in respect of which consultations conducted by his Department Capgemini has undertaken work. | | (259312) | 39
N | Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, who is responsible for the accuracy of data in the ContactPoint database. | | (259313) | 40
N | Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's 2002 long-term partnering agreement with Capgemini. | | (259314) | 41
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many children receive free school meals in (a) Vale of York constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England. | | (260064) | 42
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1058-62W, on children's day care, how many childcare settings have closed in each quarter in 2008-09. | | (260031) | 43
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2009, Official Report, column 1710W, on Sure Start programme, how many new Sure Start centres were designated in each month in (a) 2007 and (b) 2006. | | (260033) | 44
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2009, Official Report, column 1710W, on Sure Start programme, how many new Sure Start centres are planned to be established in each month in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010. | | (260034) | 45
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the effects of being on an Ofsted register are for childcare settings. | | (260035) | 46
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of registered childminders are on (a) the Early Years Register and (b) the Ofsted Childcare Register. | | (260036) | 47
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he plans to increase the annual fee for childminders on (a) the Early Years Register and (b) the Ofsted Childcare Register. | | (260043) | 48
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much his Department allocated to local authorities through dedicated funding for outreach and family support in each of the last three years. | | (260044) | 49
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what initiatives have received funding through the Standards Fund; how much his Department has allocated to the fund in each year since the fund was established; how much has been allocated to the fund for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. | | (260050) | 50
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether the number of childminders who can join a locally-accredited childminding network is limited. | | (260051) | 51
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many locally-accredited childminding networks have reported demand for places on networks in the last 12 months. | | (260052) | 52
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of (a) two, (b) three and (c) four year olds whose parents use the free entitlement to child care receive the maximum number of free hours available. | | (260053) | 53
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether Ofsted inspectors are subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check before taking up their appointment. | | (260054) | 54
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2009, Official Report, columns 490-1W, on pre-school education, how many and what proportion of children (a) under the age of two, (b) aged two, (c) aged three and (d) aged four years were in (i) full day care, (ii) full day care in children's centres, (iii) sessional care, (iv) after school clubs, (v) holiday clubs, (vi) childminder care, (vii) nursery schools, (viii) primary schools with nursery and reception classes and (ix) primary schools with reception but no nursery in each year since 1997. | | (260057) | 55
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1478W, on pre-school education, by what date he expects the extension of free early education entitlement to nursery care from 12.5 hours to 15 hours a week to apply in the case of two year olds in all local authority areas. | | (260141) | 56
| Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 657W, on pre-school education: teaching, which programmes are funded by the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant; how much has been spent on the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant in each year for which records are available; and how much is forecast to be spent in each financial year up to the end of the 2010-11 financial year. | | (260153) | 57
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many students aged 16 to 18 years in receipt of an education maintenance allowance attend each educational institution in Hemel Hempstead. | | (260088) | 58
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of teachers employed in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire are recorded as being disabled. | | (260106) | 59
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259966) | 60
| Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what recent assessment he has made of levels of compliance by schools with guidance on provisions for assemblies and daily acts of collective worship under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. | | (260032) | 61
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative effect on educational attainment of streaming classes by ability and using mixed-ability classes. | | (260158) | Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 62
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the 2008 ruling by the Information Tribunal on publication of the John Williams draft of the 2002 Iraq dossier, whether on 9 September 2002 Mr Williams was (a) present at a meeting and (b) a member of a group tasked with drafting a preliminary document described by that meeting as a 'draft assessment' to be used in the production of a draft dossier; and which other meetings he attended for the purpose of producing a draft dossier. | | (259731) | 63
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the 2008 ruling by the Information Tribunal on publication of the John Williams draft of the 2002 Iraq dossier, whether (a) Mr Williams and (b) any other communications official subsequently drafted any part of the dossier (i) on and (ii) after 9 September 2002. | | (259732) | 64
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether his Department holds a record of the identities of those officials who drafted any element of the 2002 Iraq dossier on 9 and 10 September 2002 prior to the despatch of a draft by John Scarlett to Alastair Campbell on the evening of 10 September 2002. | | (259733) | 65
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who the authors were of the documents submitted by his Department to Lord Hutton's Inquiry and catalogued CAB/23/0005 to CAB/23/0014; which officials added handwritten notes to the documents; and (a) for what purpose and (b) on what date those documents were produced. | | (259734) | 66
N | Mr John Baron (Billericay): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether the inclusion in the 2002 Iraq dossier of reference to intelligence suggesting that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes resulted from the discussion of the Joint Intelligence Committee's assessment of 9 September 2002 at a meeting of the dossier drafting group on the afternoon of 9 September 2002. | | (259783) | 67
N | Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what information his Department holds on numbers of people resident in Northern Ireland who have (a) applied for and (b) been appointed by Ministers to posts in UK-wide non-departmental bodies in each of the last three years. | | (259726) | 68
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many people were in (a) full-time education and (b) retired from employment in (i) England and (ii) North Yorkshire in each year since 1997. | | (260046) | 69
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 748W, on national income, what proportion of growth in UK gross domestic product came from growth in the financial services and banking sectors in each year from 1997 to 2007. | | (260101) | 70
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which organisations for which his Department has responsibility and oversight contract with postal service providers other than the Royal Mail; and if he will make a statement. | | (259875) | 71
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259980) | 72
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the estimated percentage of the electorate on the electoral register is in each local authority area in the UK, ranked in descending order; and if he will make a statement. | | (260165) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 73
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) socially rented homes, (b) private rented homes and (c) homes were assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Ratings Scheme in 2008-09; and of these, how many were defined as Category A hazards in (i) England, (ii) each English region and (iii) each London local authority area. | | (259930) | 74
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of (a) local authority and (b) registered social landlord tenants were estimated to be in rent arrears in (i) England, (ii) each English region and (iii) each London local authority area in the most recent quarter for which figures are available. | | (259933) | 75
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what percentage of registered social landlords of shared ownership purchasers were in arrears in respect of either rent or service charges in each English region in each quarter since December 2007. | | (259934) | 76
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many affordable homes have been started in each London local authority area since 2005. | | (259935) | 77
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which registered social landlords (RSLs) operate cash incentive schemes to encourage under-occupying tenants to downsize; and how many RSL tenants have received money under this scheme in each of the last five years. | | (259936) | 78
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when she plans to announce additional funding to assist local housing authorities to deal with severe over-crowding. | | (259937) | 79
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much central Government expenditure there was on housing in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 1979. | | (260103) | 80
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2009, Official Report, column 1778W, on council housing: Crosby, how much funding has been allocated to Sefton Borough Council in 2008-09 to reduce the number of council homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. | | (260154) | 81
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department spent on the Gateway refugee programme in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008. | | (260093) | 82
N | Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent meetings she has had on the Working Time Directive in respect of retained firefighters from (a) the Fire Brigades Union, (b) the Retained Firefighters Union and (c) other stakeholders; what representations she has received in each case; and if she will make a statement. | | (259219) | 83
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what percentage of letters sent by her Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. | | (259964) | 84
N | Bob Russell (Colchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will hold discussions with Essex County Council on its proposals to outsource services and delivery support functions. | | (259623) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 85
| Lyn Brown (West Ham): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the likely effect on public library authority budgets for 2009-10 of the time taken to publish the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA's) survey of library usage; whether his Department has held discussions with CIPFA on the matter; what account he takes of (a) the survey and (b) other statistics when assessing the value of public library services; and if he will make a statement. | | (259950) | 86
| Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps the Government has taken to support (a) cultural, (b) media and (c) sporting industries. | | (260166) | 87
| Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps the Government is taking to promote sport for people with a disability. | | (260167) | 88
| Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps the Government is taking to promote the free theatre tickets initiative. | | (260168) | 89
| Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Football Association on plans for a pan-European approach to the subject of football match-fixing. | | (259874) | 90
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259963) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence 91
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his most recent estimate is of the cost to his Department of the two aircraft carriers under construction; and what change this represents from estimates made in 2006. | | (259920) | 92
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British armed forces personnel are deployed in East Africa; and in which countries such personnel are based. | | (259921) | 93
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British armed forces personnel are stationed in Kabul and the surrounding area. | | (259922) | 94
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of NATO's deployment in Afghanistan was in 2007-08. | | (259955) | 95
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submerged collisions involving British nuclear submarines there have been since 2000. | | (259984) | 96
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many helicopters have been made available to NATO forces in Afghanistan in the last six months. | | (259985) | 97
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of unexploded landmines in Afghanistan; and what steps the Government is taking to help remove them. | | (259998) | 98
N | Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the assistance of the Royal Navy has been requested by individuals whose vessels have been involved in incidents of piracy or attempted piracy in the last three years. | | (259564) | 99
| Mrs Joan Humble (Blackpool North & Fleetwood): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trainees completed the Military Annual Training Test 7 in each of the last three years; what the pass rate was in each year; what work is carried out in order to determine the choice of question and effectiveness of training in each subject area; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of the test. | | (259883) | 100
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons his Department's departmental expenditure limit for 2008-09 was increased in the Winter Supplementary Estimates. | | (260122) | 101
N | Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Department's Minute of 17 February 2009, concerning a contingent liability for the costs associated with the Defence Training Review which was laid before the House on that date, if he will refrain from incurring the liability described in the Minute until (a) the Public Accounts Committee and (b) the Defence Committee have completed their consideration of the matter. | | (259513) | 102
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259960) | 103
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which companies were contracted to carry out the surveys. | | (260139) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 104
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what funding he has allocated to the work of the UK-Indonesia Working Group on Environment and Climate Change (WGECC); when and where the group will next meet; and which UK organisations will participate in the WGECC. | | (260021) | 105
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which modelling and datasets his Department uses to assess the likely effects on carbon prices of including forest credits in the EU emissions trading scheme; and what recent assessment he has made of such likely effects. | | (260022) | 106
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what funding he has allocated for the purposes of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation and degradation. | | (260023) | 107
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how the funds for protection of the forest environment announced at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Poznan will be allocated; and from which budget the funds will be allocated. | | (260024) | 108
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans he has to commission further research into the use of international financial mechanisms to reduce levels of forest loss. | | (260025) | 109
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he plans to publish his response to the Eliasch Review. | | (260026) | 110
| Simon Hughes (North Southwark & Bermondsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps he has taken to assist the government of (a) Indonesia and (b) Brazil to reduce levels of deforestation in those countries. | | (260027) | 111
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the average amount billed for fuel consumption for a (a) one-bedroom flat, (b) two-bedroom flat, (c) three-bedroom house and (d) four-bedroom house in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire in the last 12 months. | | (260086) | 112
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259965) | 113
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 21 November 2008, regarding Warm Front grants, sent on behalf of Mr Hussey. | | (260111) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 114
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of flooding caused by (a) overflowing waterways and (b) blocked watercourses, culverts and drains in 2008. | | (259989) | 115
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he last discussed policy on badger culling with representatives of the Welsh Assembly Government. | | (259990) | 116
| Martin Horwood (Cheltenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many flood risk management projects his Department has identified for implementation but not yet progressed; what estimate has been made of the cost of each such project; and if he will make a statement. | | (259959) | 117
| Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers there were in each agricultural sector in England in each year since 1997. | | (260137) | 118
| Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many warning letters were sent to farmers by the Rural Payments Agency for cross-compliance breaches under the (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007 Single Payment Scheme. | | (260138) | 119
| Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farm-based anaerobic digestion plants there are in England; and what estimate his Department has made for benchmarking purposes of the number of such plants operating in other EU member states. | | (260182) | 120
| Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding is available under the England Rural Development Programme to support the establishment of farmers' markets in 2008-09. | | (260183) | 121
| Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has for managing the co-existence of genetically-modified (GM) and non-GM crops. | | (260185) | 122
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259962) | 123
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which companies were contracted to carry out the surveys. | | (260146) | 124
N | Sir Michael Spicer (West Worcestershire): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Minister for Farming and the Environment will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 9 December 2008, about tigers being farmed for use in Chinese medicine. | | (259311) | 125
N | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take in response to the decision by Wightlink to initiate its new ferry service between Lymington and Yarmouth prior to completion of the appropriate assessment; and if he will make a statement. | | (259337) | 126
N | Mr Desmond Swayne (New Forest West): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the likely environmental effects on the Lymington Marshes Natura 2000 site and (b) the compliance with the EU Environmental Liability Directive of the operation of a ferry service between Lymington and Yarmouth; and if he will make a statement. | | (259339) | 127
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 18 November 2008, regarding figures on carbon dioxide emissions in South Gloucestershire. | | (260112) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 128
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Senator George Mitchell on the Middle East Peace Process since his appointment as President Obama's Middle East envoy. | | (259923) | 129
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking towards multilateral nuclear disarmament. | | (259925) | 130
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his Chinese counterpart on the status of Tibet in the last 12 months. | | (259926) | 131
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the remit of the Prime Minister's special envoy to Sri Lanka is. | | (259927) | 132
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Argentinean counterpart on the Falkland Islands in the last 10 years. | | (259928) | 133
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received representations from the government of Pakistan on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles flying out of Afghanistan into Pakistani airspace to fire missiles at targets within Pakistan in the last 12 months. | | (259986) | 134
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Pakistan on its agreement with the Taliban in Swat province. | | (259987) | 135
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his (a) Turkish and (b) Iraqi counterpart on the situation of Kurdish people in (i) Turkey and (ii) Iraq in the last 12 months. | | (259997) | 136
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of the discussions between the Turkish Prime Minister and the Israeli Prime Minister on peace in the Middle East which took place between 1 November and 27 December 2008. | | (259999) | 137
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Turkish counterpart on Gaza since the last meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. | | (260000) | 138
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects elections to take place in Afghanistan; and what steps the Government is taking to facilitate such elections. | | (260001) | 139
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the political situation in Gaza. | | (260030) | 140
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the government of Zimbabwe on the arrest and detention of Roy Bennett. | | (260184) | 141
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the political situation in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement. | | (260017) | 142
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259961) | 143
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the reported bombardment of designated safe zones in the Mullaitivu district by the government of Sri Lanka in relation to international humanitarian law. | | (260156) | 144
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the alleged use of multi-barrel rocket launchers by the government of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. | | (260157) | 145
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the government of Sri Lanka on the political situation in Sri Lanka. | | (260159) | 146
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) members of the UN Security Council and (b) his Commonwealth counterparts on the political situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. | | (260162) | 147
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the government of Sri Lanka on its compliance with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. | | (260163) | 148
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will seek a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the situation in Sri Lanka. | | (260164) | 149
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars his Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject for discussion was the effect of the economic situation on matters within his Department's responsibility. | | (260134) | 150
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which companies were contracted to carry out the surveys. | | (260145) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Health 151
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS of unused prescribed drugs and medicines was in 2007-08. | | (259924) | 152
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on defending legal proceedings taken against it by private individuals seeking to reverse local decisions on health provision and facilities in 2007-08. | | (259988) | 153
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of pregnancies where a home birth had been requested resulted in a hospital delivery in 2007-08. | | (259991) | 154
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of births were home deliveries in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2007-08. | | (259992) | 155
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many maternity beds there were in England in (a) 2000 and (b) 2008. | | (259993) | 156
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by his Department on promoting awareness of the link between obesity and diabetes in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. | | (259994) | 157
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department and NHS organisations took to improve levels of hospital cleanliness in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08; and how much was spent on such activities in each year. | | (259995) | 158
| John Cummings (Easington): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) schoolchildren and (b) adults have been diagnosed with autism in (i) County Durham and (ii) Easington constituency; and if he will make a statement. | | (260179) | 159
N | Mr Andrew Dismore (Hendon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) estimate he has made of the cost and (b) assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the computerised record system at the Royal Free Hospital. | | (259780) | 160
| Dr Ian Gibson (Norwich North): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average time taken by an ambulance in the East Anglia Ambulance Service to travel from the scene of an incident to hospital in each of the last five years. | | (259871) | 161
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of the refurbishment required for the new independent sector treatment centre in Southampton. | | (259938) | 162
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent on legal services in relation to the contract for the new independent sector treatment centre in Southampton. | | (259939) | 163
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of doctors in each health trust have used the choose and book system in each month since the introduction of the scheme. | | (259940) | 164
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of appointments have been made using the choose and book system in each health trust in each month since the scheme was introduced. | | (259941) | 165
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals are connected to the national NHS IT system. | | (259942) | 166
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable has been set for hospital trusts to introduce the national NHS IT system. | | (259943) | 167
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether patients transferred from an NHS hospital to an independent sector treatment centre are covered by NHS indemnity arrangements. | | (259944) | 168
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many scheduled operations at Southampton independent sector treatment centre have been cancelled by his Department. | | (259945) | 169
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors from Southampton General Hospital have been seconded to the independent sector treatment centre in Southampton in each month since its establishment; and if he will make a statement. | | (259946) | 170
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many operations took place at the independent sector treatment centre in Southampton in each month since its establishment. | | (259947) | 171
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many senior managers given redundancy payments as part of the last primary care trust reorganisation are working in another part of the NHS. | | (259948) | 172
| Sandra Gidley (Romsey): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the likely redundancy costs for each primary care trust (PCT) arising from the latest reorganisation of PCTs; and if he will make a statement. | | (259949) | 173
N | Martin Horwood (Cheltenham): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each age cohort (a) were diagnosed with and (b) had their death attributed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in each of the last 10 years; and what the equivalent figures are for 2009 to date. | | (259728) | 174
N | Mrs Maria Miller (Basingstoke): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total number of children in each region who had not received the MMR vaccine in each of the last 10 years. | | (259310) | 175
| Anne Milton (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has allocated to spending on research into the prevention of stillbirth in (a) 2008-09 and (b) each of the subsequent three years; which research projects are being funded; where these projects are being carried out; and how much is planned to be spent on each project. | | (260102) | 176
N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS hearing aids have been fitted by private sector contractors in each of the last three calendar years; and what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts on competition for adult hearing aid service contracts. | | (259565) | 177
N | Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many wheelchair services are meeting the 18 week pathway for provision of their services; and what funding his Department has provided to primary care trusts to deliver such services in the last 12 months. | | (259624) | 178
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dentists were operating under (a) general dental services contracts and (b) personal dental services agreements in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire in each year since 1997. | | (260081) | 179
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of women in Hemel Hempstead with suspected breast cancer saw a specialist within two weeks of referral in each of the last five years. | | (260104) | 180
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS funding has been allocated to dentistry provision in Hemel Hempstead in each year since 2004. | | (260105) | 181
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259973) | 182
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent on staff surveys in each of the last five years; and which companies were contracted to carry out the surveys. | | (260144) | 183
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars his Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject for discussion was the impact of the economic situation on matters within his Department's responsibility. | | (260150) | 184
| John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent children from using sun-beds in tanning shops; and if he will make a statement. | | (259919) | 185
| John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce legislation to ban the unsupervised use of sun-bed machines; and if he will make a statement. | | (260037) | 186
| John Smith (Vale of Glamorgan): To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce legislation to ban the use of coin-operated sun-bed machines; and if he will make a statement. | | (260038) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 187
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many identity cards had been issued by her Department at the latest date for which figures are available. | | (259951) | 188
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many elected representatives from other democratic countries have been refused entry to the UK since 2000. | | (259952) | 189
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of providing special protection for former Ministers in the UK was in 2007-08. | | (259953) | 190
| Mr Michael Ancram (Devizes): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of special protection for Government Ministers and officials was in 2007-08. | | (259954) | 191
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers there were in each London local authority area in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2008-09; and what the total strength of the Metropolitan Police Service was in each of those years. | | (259931) | 192
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of her Department's frontline immigration staff are working (a) in Calais and (b) in France outside Calais. | | (260082) | 193
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national prisoners granted immigration bail by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal have subsequently re-offended in each of the last five years. | | (260083) | 194
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national prisoners held under immigration detention powers have been granted bail in each of the last 10 years. | | (260084) | 195
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers are working at each port of entry on the UK border. | | (260085) | 196
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many front line immigration officers are working at each port on the UK border. | | (260090) | 197
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees have been resettled in the UK under the Gateway programme in each year since it was introduced. | | (260092) | 198
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to expand the Gateway refugee programme; and if she will make a statement. | | (260094) | 199
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on the Gateway refugee programme in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008. | | (260095) | 200
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many local authorities had signed up to take part in the Gateway refugee programme on 31 January 2009. | | (260096) | 201
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of her Department's frontline immigration staff are working in Belgium. | | (260097) | 202
| Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals from each member state have been refused entry into the UK on the grounds that their presence would threaten public safety in each of the last five years. | | (260077) | 203
| Chris Huhne (Eastleigh): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the monetary value of new external contracts let by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics to (a) institutions supported by higher education funding councils and (b) other organisations and bodies was in each financial year since 2001. | | (259861) | 204
| Chris Huhne (Eastleigh): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) institutions supported by the higher education funding councils and (b) other organisations and bodies have been awarded contracts by Home Office Research, Development and Statistics in each financial year since 2003. | | (259862) | 205
| Chris Huhne (Eastleigh): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, columns 185-6W, on standing advisory committees, how many current members of her Department's science advisory committee have taken part in projects in the capacity of key researcher. | | (260042) | 206
| Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 4 December 2008, regarding Mrs Shakeela Bano. | | (259872) | 207
| Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 22 December 2008, regarding Folake Surat Odetunde. | | (259873) | 208
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide information to migrant workers on their employment rights. | | (259859) | 209
| Mr David Laws (Yeovil): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, columns 165-6W, on police: finance, how much funding was allocated to each police force in each year from 2004-05 to 2009-10; and if she will make a statement. | | (260143) | 210
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on measures to prevent illegal drug activity. | | (260059) | 211
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been prevented from entering the UK on the grounds that their presence could threaten public security in each year since 1997. | | (260060) | 212
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department has collected on the relationship between retail theft and (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction; and if she will make a statement. | | (260061) | 213
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons her Department does not make an annual estimate of the levels of acquisitive crime associated with drug addiction; and if she will make a statement. | | (260063) | 214
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of penalty notices for disorder on the efficiency of police forces in England and Wales. | | (260065) | 215
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on the use of penalty notices for disorder by police community support officers; and if she will make a statement. | | (260067) | 216
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many enhanced disclosures issued by the Criminal Records Bureau have disclosed penalty notices for disorder. | | (260068) | 217
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times information has been accessed from the Police National Computer as evidence of bad character under section 101 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. | | (260070) | 218
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of cases where (a) fingerprints, (b) DNA and (c) a photograph have been entered on to the Police National Computer as a result of the issuing of penalty notices for disorder. | | (260071) | 219
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police community support officers operating in Hemel Hemsptead are (a) funded wholly by Hertfordshire Police, (b) funded in part by Dacorum Borough Council and (c) funded wholly by Dacorum Borough Council. | | (260087) | 220
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of letters sent by her Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. | | (259972) | 221
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars her Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject for discussion was the impact of the economic situation on matters within her Department's responsibility. | | (260149) | 222
| Clare Short (Birmingham, Ladywood): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the inquiry of 23 October 2008 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on Noreen Akhtar (reference A1048872). | | (259929) | 223
| Clare Short (Birmingham, Ladywood): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when a reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood's email to the UK Border Agency of 30 January 2009 on behalf of Amina Mohammed Osman (Home Office Reference Number 01064728, acknowledgement reference B3194/9). | | (260079) | 224
| Mark Williams (Ceredigion): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many international students who have been enrolled in courses of longer than four years duration have been granted visas in each of the last five years. | | (260076) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 225
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, how many (a) private and (b) local authority-sponsored apprenticeships have started in (i) England and (ii) each English region in each year since 2005; and how many of each are projected to start in (A) England and (B) each English region in 2009-10. | | (260107) | 226
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259968) | 227
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars his Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject for discussion was the impact of the economic situation on matters within his Department's responsibility. | | (260148) | Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development 228
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid has been provided by the Government to Bangladesh in each of the last five years; and how much is planned to be provided in 2009-10. | | (259932) | 229
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259974) | 230
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of conditions for civilians in government welfare villages in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. | | (260155) | 231
| Joan Ryan (Enfield North): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what reports his Department has received on the number of bombings of civilian hospitals in the Vanni region in Sri Lanka; what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian impact of these attacks; and if he will make a statement. | | (260161) | 232
| Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield): To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) summits, (b) conferences and (c) seminars his Department has hosted since January 2008 at which a primary subject for discussion was the impact of the economic situation on matters within his Department's responsibility. | | (260147) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Justice 233
| Tom Brake (Carshalton & Wallington): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have received the maximum sentence for possession of a knife in each region in each year for which figures are available. | | (260056) | 234
| Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many public interest immunity certificates Ministers in his Department have signed since the Department was established; and what matters such certificates relate to. | | (260039) | 235
| Mr Dai Davies (Blaenau Gwent): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to repeal section 53(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. | | (260040) | 236
| Mr David Drew (Stroud): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid to the PA Consulting Group for advice on prison reform in each year since the PA Consulting Group was first commissioned. | | (260041) | 237
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what percentage of inmates in young offender institutions are taking part in programmes to rehabilitate them into society. | | (259860) | 238
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimates his Department has made of the average cost to the courts of dealing with an offence by (a) a caution, (b) a penalty notice for disorder and (c) a court case. | | (260008) | 239
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of (a) males and (b) females who were convicted of shoplifting received a (i) community sentence, (ii) custodial sentence and (iii) court fine in the last 12 months. | | (260062) | 240
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times information concerning penalty notices for disorder has been disclosed in the context of seeking an anti-social behaviour order. | | (260069) | 241
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to improve the consistency of use of penalty notices for disorder across police constabularies. | | (260072) | 242
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to provide for penalty notices for disorder to be issued to 10 to 16 year olds; and what conclusions were drawn from the pilot scheme that ran from July 2005 to June 2006. | | (260073) | 243
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1548W, on shoplifting: fixed penalties, what length of time should have passed before a previous shoplifting offence should be taken into acount when considering whether to issue a second penalty notice; and whether the ability of the offender to pay is taken into account in deciding whether to issue a second notice. | | (260099) | 244
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259970) | 245
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to encourage electoral registration officers to obtain information from other local government databases to improve their electoral registers. | | (260135) | 246
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which local authorities (a) do and (b) do not give turnout targets for their electoral registration departments as part of their corporate policy goals. | | (260169) | 247
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many electoral registration staff in each local authority area have a recognised national certificate or diploma; and what plans he has to encourage electoral registration staff to study for such qualifications. | | (260170) | 248
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible to but not registered to vote in each region of the UK. | | (260171) | 249
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward proposals to amend data protection legislation to allow the exchange of information between local authority departments for purposes of compilation of the electoral register; and if he will make a statement. | | (260172) | 250
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will commission further research into the reasons for low levels of voter registration. | | (260173) | 251
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will assess the merits of using (a) council tax registration, (b) census and (c) labour force survey data to augment the electoral register; and if he will make a statement. | | (260174) | 252
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will (a) issue guidelines to local authorities on how to increase voter registration and (b) regularly publish a league table of the local authorities in respect of levels of voter registration they achieve; and if he will make a statement. | | (260175) | 253
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent per elector on voter registration in each local authority area ranked in descending order of expenditure for the last year in which figures are available. | | (260176) | 254
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the main reasons for non-registration of voters. | | (260177) | 255
| Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidelines have been issued on follow-up procedures to be used by electoral registration officers in relation to individuals who have failed to register; whether he plans to amend those guidelines; and if he will introduce a duty on local authority canvassers to visit people eligible to but who do not register to vote. | | (260178) | Questions to the Leader of the House 256
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Leader of the House, how many statutory instruments subject to the (a) negative and (b) affirmative procedure have been laid before the House in each year since 1990. | | (260074) | 257
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Leader of the House, how many statutory instruments subject to the (a) negative and (b) affirmative procedure have been debated in delegated legislation committees and their predecessor committees in each year since 1990. | | (260075) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 258
N | Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) police officers and (b) other staff paid from the policing budget for Northern Ireland undertook duties at the public event hosted by the Northern Ireland Policing Board in Londonderry on 18 February 2009. | | (259725) | 259
| Lady Hermon (North Down): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what effect he expects the introduction of electronic tagging to have on the number of (a) remand and (b) serving prisoners in Northern Ireland. | | (260078) | 260
| Chris Huhne (Eastleigh): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much has been spent to date on administrative costs associated with the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. | | (260151) | 261
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the reasons are for the postponement of the 2010 local council elections in Northern Ireland until 2011; and if he will make a statement. | | (260028) | 262
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment he has made of the economic situation in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. | | (260045) | 263
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259976) | 264
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people have been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of sex offences in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years. | | (260136) | 265
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many car-jackings have taken place in each district command unit in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. | | (260142) | Questions to the Minister for the Olympics 266
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Minister for the Olympics, how many and what percentage of letters sent by her Office were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. | | (259979) | Questions to the Prime Minister 267
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Prime Minister, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Office were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259981) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland 268
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259977) | Questions to the Solicitor General 269
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Solicitor General, how many and what percentage of letters sent by the Law Officers' Departments were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. | | (259982) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 270
N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 15 January 2009, Official Report, columns 359-60, on transport infrastructure, what further steps he has taken to establish High Speed Two; and which individuals he (a) has approached and (b) plans to approach to seek their involvement in the company. | | (259404) | 271
N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason he has required Southern to transfer rolling stock to First Capital Connect from April 2009; and what assessment he has made of the consequences of this requirement for passengers on Southern's services. | | (259405) | 272
N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reallocate coaches from the Gatwick Express service to other services operated by Southern; and if he will take account of current passenger loading in the reallocation. | | (259406) | 273
N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the terms of reference he has given to the High Speed Two company. | | (259407) | 274
N | Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct a redrafting of the timetable for rail services in Sussex to take account of the needs of rail passengers as part of the Sussex Route Utilisation Strategy. | | (259781) | 275
N | Justine Greening (Putney): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his Department's air quality technical group delivered its air quality modelling on the project for sustainable development of Heathrow for review and internal clearance within his Department; and on what date internal clearance was granted. | | (259633) | 276
| Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require local authorities to clear pavements of snow in areas with high numbers of pedestrians. | | (259877) | 277
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), where the assembly facility for the new rolling stock for the East Coast and Great Western main lines will be located; and whether it will be located in an area which attracts Government development grants. | | (260009) | 278
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), how the 2,500 new direct jobs relating to the contract to supply new rolling stock for the East Coast and Great Western main lines will be allocated in terms of (a) function and (b) location. | | (260010) | 279
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), how many jobs in the supply chain to provide new rolling stock for the East Coast and Great Western main lines will be in the UK. | | (260011) | 280
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), where the design and engineering work to be carried out by Agility Trains for the new rolling stock for the East Coast and Great Western main lines is to be carried out in the first three years of the contract. | | (260012) | 281
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), what percentage of new trains for the East Coast and Great Western main lines will be built in Japan by (a) value and (b) component. | | (260013) | 282
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), what assessment he has made of the effect of World Trade Organisation treaty obligations on UK and European suppliers competing for railway rolling stock tenders in Japan. | | (260014) | 283
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), whether UK and European rail companies are able to bid for railway rolling stock tenders in Japan. | | (260015) | 284
| Mr Bob Laxton (Derby North): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1531-3, on new trains (investment), whether he has estimated the level of carbon dioxide emissions likely to result from shipping the first 70 cars of rolling stock from Japan to the UK for the East Coast and Great Western main lines. | | (260016) | 285
| Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent by his Department per capita on public transport in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 1997. | | (260080) | 286
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259967) | 287
N | Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has committed funds to the Luton to Dunstable busway for 2010-11. | | (259403) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Wales 288
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259978) | Questions to the Minister for Women and Equality 289
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Minister for Women and Equality, how many and what percentage of letters sent by the Government Equalities Office were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. | | (259983) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 290
N | John Barrett (Edinburgh West): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 24 February 2009 on disability benefits, what his estimate is of the effect on the number of people claiming (a) disability living allowance (care component), (b) attendance allowance and (c) carer's allowance of the European Court of Justice's decision to reclassify these benefits as sickness benefits; and if he will make a statement. | | (259584) | 291
| Ms Karen Buck (Regent's Park & Kensington North): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioner households were in receipt of pension credit in each London local authority in (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2008-09; and what the average payment to (i) single pensioner households and (ii) pensioner couples was in each of those years. | | (260020) | 292
| Mrs Claire Curtis-Thomas (Crosby): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit entitlement checks have been carried out for people in (a) Crosby constituency and (b) England in the last 12 months. | | (260152) | 293
N | John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many consultants his Department retains; in what areas of his Department's work each operates; for how long each has been contracted to work within his Department; and at what cost. | | (259778) | 294
N | John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years. | | (259779) | 295
| Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 575W, on poverty: children, for which years information on the number of children born into families in relative poverty is available; and if he will make a statement. | | (260100) | 296
| Mr Gordon Prentice (Pendle): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what percentage of letters sent by his Department were given to (a) the Royal Mail and (b) another postal services provider for delivery in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (259969) | 297
N | Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State of 12 February 2009, Official Report, column 1567, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire on the National Insurance Fund; and if he will place a copy of the letter in the Library. | | (259626) | 298
N | Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons (a) residents of Carlton Colville have received one cold weather payment and (b) residents of Lowestoft, Southwold and Pakefield have received three cold weather payments in 2009 to date. | | (259632) | 299
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's press release of 12 January 2009 on guaranteed extra help for people unemployed for six months, how much and what proportion of the £0.5 billion required to fund the package will be provided by his Department. | | (260066) | 300
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 92 of the Pre-Budget Report 2008, to what areas the £1.3 billion funding to deliver support for the unemployed has been allocated; and if he will make a statement. | | (260089) | 301
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, columns 855-6W, on public expenditure, how much his Department's year-end stock of money, net of stock drawn down to fund in-year spend, was in each year since 2002; and what his estimate is for this figure at the end of 2008-09. | | (260098) | 302
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit recipients were (i) pensioners and (ii) of working age in each local authority area in each of the last 24 months; and if he will make a statement. | | (260113) | 303
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child maintenance cases were closed where the parent with care was (a) claiming and (b) not claiming income support and (i) the non-resident parent was still liable to pay maintenance and (ii) the maintenance liability had ended in each of the last 24 months. | | (260114) | 304
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications have been made to the Child Support Agency by (a) parents with care claiming income support and (b) other parents with care in each of the last 24 months. | | (260115) | 305
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls have been received by the Child Maintenance Options helpline in each month since it became operational. | | (260116) | 306
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Child Maintenance Options helpline have been (a) answered and (b) abandoned in each month since it became operational. | | (260117) | 307
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time was to answer a call to the Child Maintenance Options helpline in each month since it became operational. | | (260118) | 308
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average duration of calls to the Child Maintenance Options helpline was in each month since it became operational. | | (260119) | 309
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his most recent estimate is of the number of (a) employment vacancies and (b) persons claiming jobseeker's allowance in each parliamentary constituency. | | (260120) | 310
| Steve Webb (Northavon): To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of increasing the earnings limit in carer's allowance by (a) £10 per week, (b) £20 per week and (c) £50 per week; and if he will estimate the number of people who would become entitled to the benefit in each case. | | (260121) | Questions to the Secretary of State for the Home Department 311
| Damian Green (Ashford): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many front line customs officers work at each port on the UK border. | | [Transferred] (260091) | Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport 312
| Mrs Iris Robinson (Strangford): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many emergency calls were received by each HM Coastguard office in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. | | [Transferred] (260140) |
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