House of Commons and House of Lords

Written answers

Some recent written answers

Home Department: Driving Offences: Fines (22 July 2008)

David Ruffley:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were fined for speeding in England and Wales in each year since 1997, broken down by police force area; and how much was received in fines in each area in each year.

Home Department: Deportation (22 July 2008)

Pete Wishart:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which private security firms her Department has approved to carry out enforcement of deportation orders; which have been contracted to perform such duties; and what the financial value of each such contract will be in each of the next five years.

Children, Schools and Families: Music: Education (21 July 2008)

Sarah Teather:

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) primary and (b) secondary age children took music lessons in schools outside the national curriculum in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Home Department: Crime: Internet (22 July 2008)

Margaret Moran:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of digital forensic time within the police force is spent on investigating (a) online child abuse incidents, (b) e-crime and (c) terrorism.

Treasury: EU Emissions Trading Scheme (21 July 2008)

Willie Rennie:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer

(1) what plans the Government has for spending revenues raised through the auctioning of allowances from the (a) second and (b) third phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what proportion of the revenues generated by auctioning of allowances from the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme will be spent on (a) research and development for renewable energy, (b) carbon capture and storage development and (c) energy efficiency improvements.

Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Travel Restrictions (17 July 2008)

William Hague:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008, Official Report, columns 770-71W, on UN resolutions: frontiers, how many further notifications have been received by the UN Security Council Committee established pursuant to UN Resolution 1737 (2006) from states reporting the entry into or transit through their territories of designated persons.

Justice: Parole Board: Correspondence (15 July 2008)

Christopher Huhne:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements the Parole Board has for sorting incoming mail; whether there have been changes to the arrangements in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Children, Schools and Families: Class Sizes: Primary Education (15 July 2008)

Humfrey Malins:

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average class size in primary schools in England and Wales was in each of the last five years; what effect the personalised learning initiative is expected to have on class sizes; and if he will make a statement.

Communities and Local Government: Fire Services (16 July 2008)

Eric Pickles:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the research produced for her Department by the Centre for Economics and Business Research on the strategic review of fire and rescue services.

Health: Abortion: Drugs (22 July 2008)

David Amess:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health

(1) what legislation regulates the selling of abortion drugs on the internet; and if he will make a statement;

(2) if he will bring forward legislation to restrict the selling of abortion drugs on the internet; and if he will make a statement.

House of Lords: Health: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (17 July 2008)

Baroness Tonge:

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many primary care trusts provide National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved computerised cognitive behavioural therapy at a level sufficient to meet NICE guidelines; and

What assessment they have made of the provision of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence- approved computerised cognitive behavioural therapy treatments nationally.

Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government (22 July 2008)

Austin Mitchell:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the level of contingent liabilities for which the Government will be liable arising from any finding of systemic weakness in administration in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Justice: Information Commissioner: Secondment (22 July 2008)

Dai Davies:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2008, Official Report, columns 64-65W, on the Information Commissioner, what safeguards apply to secondees from Government departments to the Information Commissioner's Office to ensure they may not handle appeals relating to their departments.

Work and Pensions: Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (21 July 2008)

Mark Harper:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

(1) what guidance on reasonable adjustments for people with mental health conditions he has issued to assist organisations in complying with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005;

(2) what Government publications contain guidance on requirements for organisations in relation to compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

Home Department: Asylum: Somalia (22 July 2008)

Paul Holmes:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somalian people have been refused asylum in the UK in each of the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years; and how many are awaiting a decision on an asylum application.

Innovation, Universities and Skills: Dudley College (22 July 2008)

Ian Austin:

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the findings of the recent Ofsted report on Dudley College.

Home Department: Schengen Agreement: ICT (16 July 2008)

John Hayes:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the UK's participation in the Schangen SISNET system is.

Communities and Local Government: Digital Switchover Help Scheme (17 July 2008)

Don Foster:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation on the inclusion of a return path within help scheme equipment referred to in the minutes of the Emerging Technologies Group meeting of 27 February 2008.

House of Lords: Pesticides (17 July 2008)

Lord Taylor of Holbeach:

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the proposed banning of pyrethroids will extend to household products for the treatment of flea, mite and tick infestations; and

Whether the inclusion of glyphosate on the proposed European Union list of banned pesticides will cover products used in private gardens, and by gardeners employed in the public sector by organisations such as the National Trust; and

What assessment has been made of the effect on the environment of banning all the pesticides on the proposed European Union list; and what products they will recommend that local authorities, the Highways Agency and British Waterways use to control pests and weeds; and

Further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 24 June (Official Report, Commons, 6—7 WS), why the co-decision proposal updating the rules on placing plant protection products on the market was to be adopted by the Council without further discussion; whether this is normal procedure; and, if so, what rules decide which proposals are adopted in that way.

Home Department: Terrorism (22 July 2008)

Paul Goodman:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the Channel Project to combat violent extremism was in 2007-08; what the cost is expected to be in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and how those funds will be spent in each of those years.