Order Book Part 1

House of Commons

Session 2006 - 07
Publications on the internet
The Questions Book

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 8 October 2007

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

Questions for Oral or Written Answer
beginning on Monday 8 October 2007
(the 'Questions Book')

Part 1: Written Questions for Answer on
Monday 8 October 2007

This paper contains only Written Questions for answer on Monday 8 October of which previous notice has been given in the Notices of Questions paper. They are arranged in alphabetical order of answering Department.

For other Written Questions for answer on Monday 8 October of which no previous notice has been given, see the Order Paper.

For Written and Oral Questions for answer after Monday 8 October see Part 2 of this paper.

Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

1
N Mr Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what plans he has to raise awareness amongst householders about the safe disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

(154343)

2
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will make a statement on the guidance issued to government departments on the steps to be taken to dispose of redundant information technology equipment.

(154030)

3
Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the budgets were for each regional development agency in each year of their operation.

(156652)

4
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many applications the Tradeshow Access Programme received in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07; how many it has received in 2007-08; and how many his Department forecasted for the financial year 2007-08.

(155860)

5
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what proportion of the Tradeshow Access Programme budget was used by the end of August 2007; how many applications were made in this period; and how many applications have been refused.

(155861)

6
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the total budget was of the Tradeshow Access Programme for the financial year (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08.

(155862)

7
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what environmental criteria are taken into account before the Export Credits Guarantee Department offers guarantees for projects to commence.

(156355)

8
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many approved independent and environment consultants the Export Credit Guarantee Department uses when assessing the environmental impact of a project; how these consultants are selected; and what safeguards are in place to ensure their assessments are impartial.

(156356)

9
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the average price of oil was in each of the last 15 years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in oil prices on business.

(154093)

10
N Mr Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what assessment he has made of the likely costs of implementing a universal service obligation on communications providers to ensure all customer requests for broadband connections are met.

(156451)

11
N Mr Stephen Crabb (Preseli Pembrokeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what discussions he has had with OFCOM and the communications industry about a universal service obligation which would include broadband as well as narrowband services.

(156452)

12
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what information Ofgem took into account on the customer satisfaction performance indicators for the gas distribution networks in compiling its initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013; what steps Ofgem took to assess the implications of its proposals for the service provided to customers prior to their publication; and what factors Ofgem took into account in assessing the implications of its proposals for customer satisfaction.

(154289)

13
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what additional allowance Ofgem made in its initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013 to allow the gas distribution network operators to recruit and train new employees to carry out emergency, repair and maintenance activities.

(154290)

14
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many gas distribution networks made representations to Ofgem prior to it publishing Document 125/07, initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013; and how many sought an additional allowance to allow them to recruit new employees to carry out emergency, repair and maintenance activities.

(154291)

15
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what factors Ofgem took into account in compiling its initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013, with particular reference to the allowances granted to allow gas distribution network operators to recruit new employees to carry out emergency, repair and maintenance activities.

(154292)

16
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what Ofgem considers to be the implications to the consumer of the gas distribution networks being unable to replace their ageing and highly-skilled workforces by recruiting and training a sufficient number of new employees to carry out vital emergency, repair and maintenance activities.

(154293)

17
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what factors Ofgem took into account on the safety performance indicators for the gas distribution networks in compiling its initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013.

(154294)

18
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what steps Ofgem took to assess the safety implications of its proposals for (a) the consumer and (b) employees of the gas distribution networks prior to publishing Document 125/07, containing its initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013.

(154295)

19
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what factors Ofgem took into account in assessing the safety implications of its proposals prior to developing its initial proposals for the Gas Distribution Price Control Review for 2008 to 2013.

(154296)

20
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much funding was made available to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in each year since its establishment.

(156349)

21
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many arrests were made by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007; and how many of these resulted in successful prosecutions.

(156350)

22
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much was spent on training for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007; and how much is proposed to be allocated in each of the next five years.

(156351)

23
David T. C. Davies (Monmouth):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much was allocated for training for the Ministry of Defence Police in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the projected funding is to be made available for each of the next five years.

(156352)

24
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether alternative locations for post offices that Royal Mail propose for closure will be required to comply with disability discrimination legislation; and if he will make a statement.

(155604)

25
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will make it his policy to ensure that alternative locations for post offices that Royal Mail propose for closure will not result in a deterioration in standards of access for people with disabilities.

(155605)

26
Paul Flynn (Newport West):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how he plans to recover from the private sector the full costs of managing any new nuclear waste resulting from the operation of any new nuclear power stations.

(153957)

27
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the (a) Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, (b) Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, (c) East Midlands Development Agency, (d) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and (e) Postwatch.

(154678)

28
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the South West Development Agency.

(154420)

29
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, from which countries he expects the UK to derive its future requirements for oil in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years.

(154350)

30
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, what estimate he has made of the duration of future (a) oil and (b) natural gas supply from all known sources from UK-based extractive sources.

(154351)

31
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, if he will assess the merits of reviewing the analysis of those who promote a peak oil perspective of future oil supply.

(154352)

32
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, what assessment he has made of the implications of recent increases in crude oil prices for his Department's calculations of oil supply.

(154353)

33
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, what challenges he has assessed as representing the greatest impediment to affordable oil supply to the UK in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years.

(154354)

34
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, how many years of oil supply the Government has estimated are available to (a) the international community and (b) the UK in the forthcoming (i) five, (ii) 10, (iii) 15 and (iv) more than 15 years at present rates of usage.

(154355)

35
Andrew George (St Ives):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, pursuant to the Answer of 20th February 2007, Official Report, column 658W, on oil: reserves, what assessment he has made of the affordability of oil supplies to the UK in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years.

(154356)

36
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Competition Commission.

(154633)

37
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by Advantage West Midlands.

(154729)

38
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by Postcomm.

(154730)

39
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Certification Office for Trade Union and Employers' Associations.

(154731)

40
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by Companies House.

(154732)

41
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by Ofcom.

(154665)

42
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

(154667)

43
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the (a) UK Atomic Energy Authority, (b) North West Regional Development Agency, (c) Ofgem and (d) Small Business Service.

(154481)

44
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what assessment he has made of the TG4 Group proposals for a pan-European sub band of spectrum for mobile use; and if he will make a statement.

(154411)

45
Charles Hendry (Wealden):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what estimate he has made of the likely change in (a) export sales and (b) research and development spending as a result of moving the Defence Export Services Organisation from the Ministry of Defence to UK Trade and Investment.

(156169)

46
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by Yorkshire Forward.

(154158)

47
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

(154161)

48
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the East of England Development Agency.

(154171)

49
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which private consultancy firms (a) his Department and (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

(155874)

50
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

(155889)

51
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many new VAT registrations there were in the City of Peterborough in each year since 1997.

(154689)

52
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many VAT registered businesses there were in the City of Peterborough in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154690)

53
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will make a statement on the future of the post office network in Houghton and Washington East constituency.

(154306)

54
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many domestic wind turbines were granted planning permission on land designated as green belt for each of the previous three years for which figures are available.

(156572)

55
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how he plans to determine whether the corporate social responsibility assistance provided by each energy supplier to help vulnerable consumers is adequate and proportional; and if he will make a statement.

(156361)

56
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether he has set a deadline for energy companies to put into place the programmes of assistance described at paragraph 2.1.21 of Meeting the Energy Challenge - A White Paper on Energy; and if he will make a statement.

(156362)

57
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what steps his Department is taking to help rural households to overcome planning issues to implement alternative sources of energy, including microgeneration, and to become more energy efficient.

(156365)

58
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what steps he is taking to assist those households living in fuel poverty that are not connected to the mains gas network.

(156368)

59
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what steps he is taking to assist households off the mains gas network to take full advantage of a competitive energy market.

(156369)

60
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what steps his Department is taking to assist households and communities not connected to the mains gas network.

(156370)

61
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what representations he has received from energy suppliers on their programmes of assistance to vulnerable consumers; and if he will make a statement.

(156371)

62
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what discussions he has had with Ministers at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the energy needs of households not connected to gas mains.

(156372)

63
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many rural households in England are in fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.

(156373)

64
Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North and Leith):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which consumer groups will be targeted by the winter 2007-08 cross-Government communications campaign on energy-related assistance for vulnerable and low-income households.

(156374)

65
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will make a statement on the planned location of new outreach post offices within West Dorset constituency.

(153867)

66
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether those served by outreach post offices and non-commercial post office outlets will count as part of the 90 per cent. of the population to be within one mile of their nearest post office outlet in the access criteria set by Post Office Ltd.

(153868)

67
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what proportion of post offices planned for closure within West Dorset constituency are in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

(153870)

68
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the timescale is for planned post office closures within West Dorset constituency in the period up to the end of 2009.

(153871)

69
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many outreach post offices will open in West Dorset constituency during the planned post office closure programme.

(153872)

70
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many post offices are planned for closure within West Dorset constitutency.

(153895)

71
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what minimum level of service provision will be required of post office outlets for the 90 per cent. of the population who are to be within one mile of their nearest outlet.

(153896)

72
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether Post Office Ltd is considering the use of church premises for new post offices to replace some of the post offices that are to be closed in rural communities.

(153931)

73
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the (a) opening times and (b) services of the new Outreach post offices will be, with particular reference to the post offices to be located in the West Dorset parliamentary constituency.

(153932)

74
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the timescale is for the opening of new Outreach post offices within the West Dorset parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

(153933)

75
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what accounts directions were issued by his Department's predecessors in financial year (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(156626)

76
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will list his Department's and its predecessors' (a) executive agencies, (b) executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), (c) advisory NDPBs, (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations in each financial year since 2005-06.

(156627)

77
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what plans he has to introduce a duty on employers to provide flexible working arrangements.

(154311)

78
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Regional Development Agencies National Secretariat.

(154466)

79
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what measures have been taken to ensure that (a) employers and (b) employees are aware of the changes in statutory holiday entitlements and what the statutory holiday entitlements are, and during what dates, during the transitional period of their introduction.

(155806)

80
Mr Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many private cars or other non-liveried or dedicated vehicles are used by the Royal Mail in the dispatch of mail.

(154194)

81
Mr Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what assessment he has made of the level of usage of private cars or other non-liveried or dedicated vehicles by the Royal Mail to relay mailbags to postmen and women in the course of their rounds; and what guidance applies to the Royal Mail in terms of the security of such vehicles.

(154195)

82
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many (a) phone calls and (b) meetings took place between (i) Ministers and (ii) civil servants and (A) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and (B) Vendside in (1) 1998, (2) 1999, (3) 2000 and (4) 2001.

(155595)

83
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many records there are of (a) gifts and (b) hospitality received by civil servants from his Department and its predecessors from solicitors acting for (i) the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and (ii) Vendside in cases concerning miners' industrial diseases in (A) 1998, (B) 1999, (C) 2000 and (D) 2001.

(155596)

84
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much the East Midlands Development Agency paid for the Coats Viyella site in Worksop; and how much has been spent on security for the site.

(155602)

85
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether he intends to send an observer from his Department to the disciplinary tribunal misconduct hearings against (a) Wake Smith and Berefords and (b) Raleys solicitors.

(156576)

86
Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what discussions his Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) RNIB, (ii) RNID, (iii) Age Concern and (iv) Help the Aged on the implications of the transfer of Crown post office services to WH Smith branches for people with disabilities.

(154534)

87
Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what discussions his Department plans to have with the Post Office Ltd and WH Smith on changes to chip and pin services in WH Smith branches to meet the needs of blind and visually impaired customers.

(154535)

88
Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether the agreement between Post Office Ltd and WH Smith involves WH Smith assuming a responsibility to publish a disability equality scheme and carry out a disability equality impact assessment.

(154536)

89
Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what the total estimated annual cost is of (a) expenses, (b) salary, (c) office space, (d) administrative support and (e) special advisers for the new minister of state in his Department.

(154628)

90
Mr Michael Moore (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many television signal reception installers had signed up to the Registered Digital Installer scheme at 30th June 2007, broken down by ITV television region.

(154084)

91
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many responses he has received to the consultation on the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007 Directive; and if he will make a statement.

(153779)

92
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will inform hon. Members, local residents and local authorities contemporaneously of consultations on post office closure plans; and if he will make a statement.

(153780)

93
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether any local authority or hon. Member has been formally contacted on the consultation on post office closure plans; and if he will make a statement.

(153781)

94
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, when he expects the Office of Fair Trading to make a decision on the approved scheme to run an estate agent redress scheme from April 2008.

(155912)

95
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, whether he expects the Office of Fair Trading to approve only one scheme to run an estate agent redress scheme from April 2008.

(155913)

96
Lembit Öpik (Montgomeryshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many applications or expressions of interest the Office of Fair Trading has received to run an approved estate agent redress scheme from April 2008.

(155914)

97
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many people declared themselves bankrupt in Cambridgeshire in each of the last five years.

(153768)

98
John Penrose (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what estimate he has made of the percentage of electronic games publishers that include warnings on their products that they could trigger a photosensitive epileptic seizure.

(153978)

99
John Robertson (Glasgow North West):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what assessment he has made of the effect of retail price competition through the application of regulation in broadband on the range and price of services available to consumers; and what assessment he has made of the merits of applying similar openness of access to the market for premium content and pay TV.

(155936)

100
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will take steps to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable people by home credit companies.

(154386)

101
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what percentage of new television sets sold in the UK have a screen blanking feature.

(153782)

102
Bob Spink (Castle Point):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all new television sets have a screen blanking feature.

(153783)

103
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the South East England Development Agency.

(154121)

104
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by (a) the British Nuclear Group and (b) British Nuclear Fuels Limited.

(154124)

105
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

(154126)

106
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Office of Fair Trading.

(154142)

107
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the One Northeast Communications Team.

(154148)

108
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many press officers are employed by the Equal Opportunities Commission, including its Northern Ireland office.

(154149)

109
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what estimate he has made of the amount of electricity that could be generated through the capture and use of gas produced from landfill; and what proportion of the UK's total electricity supply this would represent.

(156040)

110
N Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what evaluation he has made of the abuse of accommodation address agencies by perpetrators of (a) consumer fraud and (b) other criminal activity relating to the responsibilities of his Department.

(156592)

111
Mr Mike Weir (Angus):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many meetings have taken place between his Department and its predecessor and the Scottish Executive's (a) Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Directorate and (b) Marine Directorate since May regarding the devolution of further powers for the Scottish Parliament under UK marine legislation.

(155753)

112
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much has been committed for the installation of (a) wind turbines, (b) wood fuelled boiler systems, (c) solar thermal hot water, (d) solar photovoltaics, (e) small hydro projects, (f) heat pumps, (g) ground source heat pumps and (h) biomass room heaters and stores under phase one of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (i) in total and (ii) in each region to date in each month since the scheme began; and if he will make a statement.

(156258)

113
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much funding has not yet been committed under phase one of the the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement.

(156259)

114
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how much has been committed under phase one of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (a) in total and (b) in each region in each month since the scheme began; and if he will make a statement.

(156260)

Questions to Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

115
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government's policy is on the use of tendering processes as part of the awarding of commercial contracts.

(154035)

116
N John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of grandparents who undertake childcare roles.

(153934)

117
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the effective rate of tax is for bingo played in a licensed bingo premises.

(154443)

118
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the effective rate of tax is for player-to-player poker played in a casino.

(154444)

119
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much VAT was paid by licensed bingo clubs in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(154615)

120
Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much VAT was paid by casinos in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(154616)

121
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of its amnesty for offshore account holders based in the UK on the number of non-domicile tax claimants; and if he will make a statement.

(153859)

122
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations his Department instigated into claimants of non-domicile tax status in the last 12 months for which information is available; and if he will make statement.

(153860)

123
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations instigated by his Department into claimants of non-domicile tax status resulted in claimants being (a) fined and (b) imprisoned for wrongfully claiming non-domicile status in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

(153861)

124
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of suspected terrorist funds frozen and then unfrozen was in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

(153863)

125
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully applied for non-domicile tax status in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(153864)

126
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations were undertaken into the income and assets held overseas by non-domiciled UK taxpayers in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

(153936)

127
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people claiming non-domicile tax status in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

(153937)

128
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of (a) European and (b) non-European candidates for the post of Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

(155773)

129
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has held on nominating a non-European candidate for the post of Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

(155774)

130
Dr Vincent Cable (Twickenham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria his Department uses to assess candidates for nomination for the post of Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

(156317)

131
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25th July 2007, Official Report, column 62WS, on tax credit administration, how many awards HM Revenue and Customs will be reviewing from people living in (a) Scotland and (b) Orkney and Shetland in 2003-04 and 2004-05; and how many households in (i) Scotland and (ii) Orkney and Shetland will be contacted about their 2005-06 awards.

(154059)

132
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the value of deposits in dormant bank accounts in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom.

(154453)

133
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many awards of tax credits were adjusted in-year due to excess payments in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2006-07; whether excess payments are included in the annual supplement on payments figures; what the average value was of the excess payment; what the total amount recovered in-year was; and how many and what proportion of these cases were disputed.

(155939)

134
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the increase in average earnings in (a) the whole labour market, (b) the private sector and (c) the public sector has been since 1997.

(155940)

135
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of City bonuses on (a) London's housing market and (b) increases in housing prices in London in the last five years.

(155607)

136
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake an evaluation of the adequacy of the tax rate on City bonuses.

(155608)

137
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many 18 to 24 year olds were not in full-time education, employment or training in each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of the population of 18 to 24 year olds this represented in each case.

(155992)

138
Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18th July 2007, Official Report, column 440W, on departments: legislation, which parts of the 60 Acts have not been brought into force.

(154204)

139
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the European Central Bank allocated to help banks or other share companies or institutions during the recent share market downturn; and what the UK's contribution was for this purpose.

(155789)

140
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid to recipients of tax credits in Bournemouth in (i) 2005-06 and (ii) 2006-07.

(155775)

141
N Mr Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the guarantee announced for deposits in Northern Rock covers unlimited new deposits into existing accounts; and for how long it is expected to continue.

(155740)

142
N Mr Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out the terms on which he has engaged Goldman Sachs to advise him on Northern Rock.

(155741)

143
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) alcohol-related and (b) drug-related deaths there were in London in each of the last five years.

(154810)

144
N Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12th July 2007, Official Report, column 2163W, on lone parents, how many lone parents there were in each local authority at the 1981 Census, expressed as a proportion of the working age population, broken down by five year age cohort.

(156252)

145
N Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12th September, Official Report, column 2163W, on manufacturing industries: manpower, how many people were employed in the manufacturing industries, as a proportion of the working age population, in each local authority in each year for which figures are available, broken down by five year age cohorts.

(156269)

146
N Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12th September 2007, Official Report, column 2163W, on lone parents, how many lone parents there were in each local authority, expressed as a proportion of the working age population, in each year for which figures are available, broken down by five year age cohorts.

(156270)

147
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assumptions his Department has made regarding the behavioural changes necessary in order for receipts from remote gaming duty to equal those anticipated in the 2007 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

(156521)

148
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue he expects to receive from remote gaming duty in each of the next five years.

(156522)

149
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

(154686)

150
N Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of VAT registration applications have been processed within the target time in 2007-08.

(153424)

151
N Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average processing time was for VAT registration applications for each of the VAT registration units in the latest period for which figures are available.

(153425)

152
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Valuation Office Agency.

(154421)

153
N Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd July 2007, Official Report, columns 665-6W, on VAT: registration, how many and what proportion of VAT registration applications were processed within 15 working days in 2006-07.

(154438)

154
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by National Savings and Investments.

(154636)

155
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many estates in 2006-07 were not liable to inheritance tax as a consequence of the exemption available for (a) spouses and (b) civil partners.

(155724)

156
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many recipients of child tax credits receive child support agency payments or child maintenance payments which are not taken into account in assessing the recipient's income.

(155725)

157
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the average proportion of household income spent on water bills in each county in the South West.

(154767)

158
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Royal Mint.

(154721)

159
Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department commissioned the review and report undertaken by Messrs Attwood (International Division) and Bishop (Large Business Office) of Inland Revenue in August 1999.

(154040)

160
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of disabled people were in work in each year since 1997.

(154673)

161
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people aged (a) 50 to 55, (b) 55 to 60, (c) 60 to 65, (d) 65 to 70 and (d) over 70 years were in work in each year since 1997.

(154674)

162
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the tax changes announced in the 2007 budget due to be implemented in 2008 on a woman pensioner aged between 60 and 65; and if he will make a statement.

(156453)

163
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of HM Revenue and Customs cigarette seizures were of (a) counterfeit cigarettes and (b) contraband cigarettes, in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154483)

164
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many confiscation orders concerning suspected illicit tobacco were (a) requested and (b) given in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154484)

165
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people convicted of using violence against an HM Revenue and Customs officer were given (a) a fine, (b) a community sentence and (c) a custodial sentence in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154485)

166
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of using violence against an HM Revenue and Customs officer in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154486)

167
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people convicted of using their premises for the sale of unmarked tobacco products were fined in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154487)

168
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people convicted of trading in illicit tobacco not bearing a UK duty-paid fiscal mark were (a) given a fine and (b) prohibited to sell tobacco products for up to six months in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154488)

169
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people convicted of (a) tobacco smuggling and (b) handling smuggled tobacco were given a (i) fine, (ii) community sentence and (iii) custodial sentence in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154489)

170
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many scanners were in operation as part of the national network of scanners to detect high volume tobacco and cigarette smuggling in freight containers in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154490)

171
N Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many calls were received to the confidential hotline Customs Confidential in each year since 2000; how many resulted in charges being issued; and if he will make a statement.

(154491)

172
N Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fiscal liaison officers there were in each year since 2000, broken down by the location in which they were based; and if he will make a statement.

(154492)

173
N Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much hand-rolled tobacco bound for the UK was seized overseas by HM Revenue and Customs overseas officers and their host agencies in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154493)

174
N Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many illegal cigarettes bound for the UK were seized overseas by HM Revenue and Customs overseas officers and their host agencies in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154494)

175
N Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made in reaching the operational target for hand-rolled tobacco of reducing the size of the UK illicit market by 1,200 tonnes by 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

(154495)

176
N Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) revenue loss, (b) illicit market share and (c) cross-border shopped share of the illicit hand-rolled tobacco market in each year from 2004; and if he will make a statement.

(154496)

177
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) counterfeit and (b) contraband cigarette seizures there were of (i) 0-250,000, (ii) 250,001-500,000, (iii) 500,001-750,000, (iv) 750,001-1,000,000, (v) 1,000,001-2,000,000, (vi) 2,000,001-3,000,000, (vii) 3,000,001-4,000,000, (viii) 4,000,001-5,000,000, (ix) 5,000,001-6,000,000 and (x) 6,000,001 or more cigarettes in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154497)

178
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent in each year on the publicity campaign launched in March 2000 to increase public awareness of tobacco smuggling; and if he will make a statement.

(154498)

179
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were employed to tackle tobacco smuggling in each year since 2000, broken down by job description; and if he will make a statement.

(154499)

180
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average time was taken to confirm or deny that seized (a) cigarettes and (b) hand-rolled tobacco was counterfeit before charges could be made in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154500)

181
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time was between seizure of suspected illicit tobacco and cigarettes and criminal charges being issued for (a) tobacco smuggling and (b) handling of smuggled tobacco in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154501)

182
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) seizures, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there were for the use of premises for the sale of illicit tobacco in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154502)

183
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) seizures, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there were for trading in illicit tobacco in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154503)

184
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) seizures, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there were for the handling of smuggled tobacco in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154504)

185
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) seizures, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there were for smuggling tobacco in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(154505)

186
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent on tackling hand-rolled tobacco and cigarette smuggling communication campaigns in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154506)

187
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings his Department had with tobacco manufacturers to discuss tobacco smuggling in each year since 2000; what the dates were of the meetings; and if he will make a statement.

(154507)

188
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what level of the financial remissions set out in the departmental annual report his Department made by (a) recoverable debts caused by official error, (b) recoverable debts not pursued on the grounds of value for money and (c) irrecoverable debts in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

(154532)

189
Justine Greening (Putney):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the market share of illicit cigarettes of cross border marketing and smuggling in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(154533)

190
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the 20 most expensive training courses provided to Ministers and civil servants in his Department were in 2006; and what the cost was of each per participant.

(153918)

191
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) value and (b) number was of bonus payments made to staff at (i) HM Revenue and Customs, (ii) his Department, (iii) the Office for National Statistics, (iv) the Debt Management Office, (v) the Royal Mint, (vi) the Office for Government Commerce, (vii) the Government Actuary's Department and (viii) the Valuation Office Agency in each of the last five years.

(153919)

192
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent on managing his Department and its agencies' corporate identities in each year since 1997-98.

(153920)

193
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) his Department, (c) the Office for National Statistics, (d) the Debt Management Office, (e) the Royal Mint, (f) the Office for Government Commerce, (g) the Government Actuary's Department and (h) the Valuation Office Agency spent on (i) sponsoring newspaper or publication supplements and (ii) funding advertorials in newspapers and other publications in the last year for which figures are available.

(153921)

194
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training courses were attended by staff from (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) his Department in each of the last three years; how many staff attended each course; and what the cost was of each course to his Department.

(153922)

195
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of staff responsible for (a) brand management and (b) marketing at (i) HM Revenue and Customs, (ii) his Department, (iii) the Office for National Statistics, (iv) the Debt Management Office, (v) the Royal Mint, (vi) the Office for Government Commerce, (vii) the Government Actuary's Department and (viii) the Valuation Office Agency in 2006-07.

(153923)

196
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff are responsible for (a) brand management and (b) marketing at (i) HM Revenue and Customs, (ii) his Department, (iii) the Office for National Statistics, (iv) the Debt Management Office, (v) the Royal Mint, (vi) the Office for Government Commerce, (vii) the Government Actuary's Department and (viii) the Valuation Office Agency.

(153924)

197
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effects of the trend in the UK household savings ratio over the period 1997 to 2006; and if he will make a statement.

(153925)

198
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to publish estimates of total public service pension liabilities on a regular basis in the future.

(153926)

199
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total liability of unfunded public service pension schemes was as at 31st March in each year since 1997.

(153927)

200
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) his Department, (c) the Office for National Statistics, (d) the Debt Management Office, (e) the Royal Mint, (f) the Office for Government Commerce, (g) the Government Actuary's Department and (h) the Valuation Office Agency spent on (i) stationery, (ii) business cards and (iii) building signs in each year since 1997.

(153929)

201
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidelines issued to staff maintaining his Department and its agencies' corporate identity; and what the estimated cost of (a) producing and (b) complying with such guidelines is.

(153930)

202
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was spent on training away days for staff of his Department and its agencies in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

(153960)

203
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many days' training on average were provided to each member of staff at (a) HM Revenue and Customs, (b) his Department, (c) the Office for National Statistics, (d) the Debt Management Office, (e) the Royal Mint, (f) the Office for Government Commerce, (g) the Government Actuary's Department and (h) the Valuation Office Agency in each of the last five years.

(153961)

204
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost was of visits abroad by staff in his Department and its agencies in 2006-07.

(153962)

205
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's evaluations of media coverage of departmental activities since May 2005.

(153963)

206
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library copies of the last 12 editions of the staff magazines for his Department and each of its agencies.

(153964)

207
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was overpaid in tax credits to deceased claimants in each of the last three years.

(153965)

208
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what mechanisms he has put in place to track the amount of tax credits paid erroneously to illegal immigrants.

(153979)

209
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average annual number of absent days per employee was in his Department and its executive agencies in each year since 1997; what percentage of person-days were lost through absenteeism; and what the estimated total cost to the Department and its agencies was in each year.

(153980)

210
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of people who were underpaid tax credits in 2005-06 were living on incomes of less than 60 per cent. of UK median earnings.

(153981)

211
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people downloaded HM Revenue and Customs podcasts in each month since their inception.

(153982)

212
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of producing HM Revenue and Customs podcasts in each month since their inception.

(153983)

213
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to measure the effectiveness of HM Revenue and Customs podcasts.

(153984)

214
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Tax Evasion hotline cost to administer in each month since its inception.

(153985)

215
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many calls the Tax Evasion hotline received in each month since its inception.

(153986)

216
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of calls received by the Tax Evasion hotline resulted in prosecutions for tax evasion in each month for which figures are available.

(153987)

217
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of levels of staff satisfaction at HM Revenue and Customs in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

(153988)

218
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes he has in place to measure staff satisfaction at HM Revenue and Customs.

(153989)

219
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes he has in place to measure staff productivity at HM Revenue and Customs.

(153990)

220
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total running costs were of each of the offices of HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.

(153991)

221
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit claimants had their entitlements wrongly calculated in each year for which figures are available.

(153992)

222
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25th June 2007, Official Report, column 393W, on public sector pensions, when he will publish his latest estimate of the total liabilities of unfunded public service pension schemes as at 31st March 2006.

(154018)

223
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 25th June 2007, Official Report, column 365W, on child benefits: overseas residence, whether all such cases are handled by a single centralised processing unit.

(154058)

224
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of stamp duty on (a) the London Stock Exchange's competitiveness and (b) the value of equities; and if he will make a statement.

(154282)

225
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of stamp duty on the housing market; and if he will make a statement.

(154283)

226
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of small businesses which will benefit from the introduction of the new annual investment allowance in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

(154284)

227
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) aggregate gross value of the total expected cash payments under all current and approved future private finance initiative contracts and (b) estimated current capital value of all existing and future private finance initiative contracts is.

(154285)

228
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the review of external contracts at HM Revenue and Customs will report.

(154288)

229
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was underpaid in child benefit in each year since 1997.

(154316)

230
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answers of 25th June 2007, Official Report, column 365W, on child benefit: overseas residence, for what reason his Department does not hold information on the amount of child benefit and child tax credit paid in respect of children living abroad.

(154326)

231
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many consultants' contracts were terminated early in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and at what cost in each year.

(154341)

232
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Bank of England.

(154432)

233
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Financial Services Authority.

(154433)

234
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what border controls HM Revenue and Customs exercise on (a) uncanalised yachts and (b) pleasure craft traffic, (i) entering and (ii) leaving the UK; and how many seizures of articles subject to an import prohibition have been made by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2003, broken down by category of item; and if he will make a statement.

(156377)

235
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the threat to the UK, of the smuggling of (a) firearms, (b) other items subject to an import prohibition, through uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft traffic; and if he will make a statement.

(156566)

236
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what account is taken of past quantities of heroin and cocaine seized by HM Revenue and Customs in setting targets for future seizures; for what reason equivalent seizure targets are not set for (a) ecstasy and (b) cannabis; and if he will make a statement.

(156607)

237
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) records and (b) estimates have been made of the number of uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft entering the UK each year since 2003; and how many challenges have been made in respect of such craft by HM Revenue and Customs or other UK authority since 2003.

(156608)

238
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Customs officers were permanently attached to (a) seaports, (b) airfields in (i) Cornwall, (ii) Devon, (iii) Dorset, (iv) Isle of Wight and (v) Hampshire in (A) 2001 and (B) 2007; and if he will make a statement.

(156682)

239
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what quantity of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) ecstasy, (d) cannabis and (e) firearms has been seized by Customs officers in (i) seaports and (ii) airfields in (A) Cornwall, (B) Devon, (C) Dorset, (D) Isle of Wight and (E) Hampshire in (1) 2001, (2) 2002 and (3) in the last year for which records are available; and if he will make a statement.

(156693)

240
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to increase the permanent presence of customs officers at (a) seaports and (b) airfields in (i) Cornwall, (ii) Devon, (iii) Dorest, (iv) Isle of Wight and (v) Hampshire, with particular reference to land-based officers doing uncanalised work; and if he will make a statement.

(156694)

241
Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) women, (b) single parents and (c) people were in work in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

(156033)

242
Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of (a) adult and (b) youth unemployment was in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

(156035)

243
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4th July 2007, Official Report, column 1066W, on Departments: departmental reorganisation, what account his Department takes of the Information Commissioner's guidance that no internal review should take longer than 40 days; and how many requests for internal review have exceeded this deadline.

(154087)

244
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which private consultancy firms (a) his Department and (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

(155880)

245
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

(155897)

246
Mr Mark Lancaster (North East Milton Keynes):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons VAT is charged on child cycling helmets.

(155636)

247
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his latest estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the Child Trust Fund in each year from 2007-08 to 2020-21 for which an estimate exists; and if he will make a statement.

(154007)

248
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the increase in the annual entitlement to tax credits as a result of increasing the income disregard from £2,500 to £25,000; what the margin of error is in that calculation; and if he will make a statement.

(154621)

249
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates of the number of tax credit compliance staff have been made public since 1st March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(154622)

250
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce new, free ATMs in Yeovil constituency as part of the Working Group initiative to improve access in low income communities; and if he will make a statement.

(154624)

251
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a copy of the latest version of the National Statistics Postcode Directory.

(156003)

252
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list all accounts directions issued by his Department between 2001-02 and 2005-06.

(156004)

253
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2nd July 2007, Official Report, column 932W, on Defence: Finance, what the Ministry of Defence's upper limit for non-cash to near cash switches was for financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08.

(156005)

254
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what accounts directions were issued by his Department in financial year (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(156675)

255
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), (c) advisory NDPBs, (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations for each financial year since 2005-06.

(156678)

256
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Security and Intelligence Agencies' (a) administrative expenditure, (b) other current expenditure, (c) grant expenditure, (d) operating appropriations in aid (A in A), (e) capital and (f) non-operating A in A outturn, broken down in (i) near cash and (ii) non-cash terms was for financial years 2001-02 to 2006-07.

(156680)

257
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will break down in (a) near cash and (b) non-cash terms columns 1 to 8 of the subhead detail tables for the Security and Intelligence Agencies contained in the (i) main estimate, (ii) winter supplementary estimate and (iii) spring supplementary estimate for financial years 2001-02 to 2007-08.

(156681)

258
Mr David Lidington (Aylesbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Chairman of HM Customs and Revenue expects to reply to the letter of 19th July from the hon. Member for Aylesbury on the tax credit case of Mr and Mrs D. of Aylesbury (ref. JE875300A); and if he will make a statement.

(156223)

259
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Law Enforcement Business Plan on seizures of controlled drugs and illegal firearms smuggled into the UK made in (a) the South West region and (b) across the UK since it was implemented.

(155846)

260
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many customs officers were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each English region in each of the last five years.

(155847)

261
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what quantities of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) ecstasy and (d) cannabis were seized as a result of HM Revenue and Customs operations in each of the last four years.

(156024)

262
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the seizure quantity targets were for (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) ecstasy and (d) cannabis in each of the last four years.

(156025)

263
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the travelling and subsistence costs for mobile detection teams within the detection directorate of HM Revenue and Customs were in each of the last four years.

(156026)

264
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the threat presented to the UK of smuggling firearms and other items subject to an import prohibition through uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft traffic.

(156027)

265
John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft are estimated to have entered the UK in each year since 2003; and how many interventions or challenges have been made on yacht and pleasure craft by HM Revenue and Customs or other UK authorities since 2003.

(156028)

266
Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of whether the banking and financial sector of Bermuda is (a) sufficiently transparent and (b) regulated and subject to oversight that meets European and other international norms designed to combat financial and white collar crime; and if he will make a statement.

(155823)

267
Mr Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department paid through the tax credit system to clients as compensation in lieu of any bank charges incurred on their personal accounts whilst involved with the tax credit system in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

(156294)

268
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which professional football clubs have gone into administration leaving an unpaid debt to HM Revenue and Customs since 2000.

(155598)

269
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) tax and (b) National Insurance revenue has been (i) lost and (ii) written off in relation to each professional football club which has entered into adminstration since 2000.

(155599)

270
Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total estimated annual cost is of (a) expenses, (b) salary, (c) office space, (d) administrative support and (e) special advisers for the new Exchequer Secretary.

(154699)

271
Mr Michael Moore (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his estimate is of the value of garments manufactured in China that were imported into the UK from Bangladesh in the latest period for which figures are available.

(154083)

272
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which groups are being consulted as part of his Department's review of the needs of over 85 year-olds.

(154649)

273
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HM Revenue and Customs front-line detection staff with primary responsibility for detecting illegal imports of products of animal origin were employed in each year since 2001-02.

(153767)

274
Mr Eric Pickles (Brentwood & Ongar):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Government policy is on a (a) plastic bag and (b) chewing gum tax.

(153819)

275
Mr Greg Pope (Hyndburn):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the Paymaster General to reply to the letter dated 28th June 2007 from the hon. Member for Hyndburn on Ms M. Hartley-McGough.

(153791)

276
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the timetable is for the introduction of the zero rate of stamp duty for zero carbon homes.

(153802)

277
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what records (a) his Department, (b) HM Revenue and Customs and (c) the Valuation Office Agency will collate on the number of house sale transactions that received the zero rate of stamp duty on zero carbon homes.

(153803)

278
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether staff of the Valuation Office Agency who undertake inspections of domestic dwellings for council tax valuation purposes are required to have (a) basic and (b) enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks.

(153804)

279
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) gross and (b) net revenue from domestic rates in Northern Ireland was in each year since 1997-98; and what the estimated figures are in each case for 2007-08.

(153805)

280
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the presence of double or treble glazing in a domestic dwelling may affect its capital valuation for valuation purposes by the Valuation Office Agency.

(153806)

281
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data the Valuation Office Agency has purchased from the Landmark Information Group in the last five years; and for what purposes.

(153807)

282
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Valuation Office Agency has made representations to have access to the energy performance certificate register.

(153808)

283
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Sir David Varney's review of taxation policy and economic growth in Northern Ireland will review the new system of domestic rates and the policy for domestic rate revaluations.

(153809)

284
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many neighbourhood geo-codes recorded by the Valuation Office Agency to assist with domestic valuation purposes there are in (a) England and (b) Wales.

(153810)

285
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's definition of a zero carbon residential dwelling is for the purposes of stamp duty.

(153812)

286
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what purpose the Valuation Office Agency joined PISCES; on what date; and at what cost.

(156598)

287
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much remains unspent in Environmental Trust bank accounts unable to be released due to the withdrawal of the education and research C and CC categories.

(154197)

288
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to facilitate the release of monies deposited in Environmental Trust accounts originally earmarked under Entrust's categories C and CC for education and research.

(154198)

289
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what total amount derived from landfill tax revenues is held in the largest 12 environmental trust accounts.

(154199)

290
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he (a) has taken and (b) is taking to make the bank accounts of environmental trusts which receive landfill tax monies more accountable.

(154200)

291
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Office of Government Commerce.

(154122)

292
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by the Office of National Statistics.

(154129)

293
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many press officers are employed by HM Revenue and Customs.

(154136)

294
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the net effect on revenues to the Exchequer would have been of reforming capital gains tax taper relief for business assets so that the proportion of gains chargeable was 100 per cent. after two years or less, 90 per cent. after three years, 80 per cent. after four years, 70 per cent. after five years, 60 per cent. after six years and 50 per cent. after seven years or more in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(155848)

295
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the net effect on revenues to the Exchequer would have been of reforming capital gains tax taper relief for non-business assets so that the proportion of gains chargeable was 100 per cent. after two years or less, 90 per cent. after three years, 80 per cent. after four years, 70 per cent. after five years, 60 per cent. after six years and 50 per cent. after seven years or more in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(155849)

296
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the cost of capital gains tax taper relief was due to (a) business assets and (b) non-business assets in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(155850)

297
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are registered as non-domiciled for tax purposes; how many of them are (a) resident, (b) ordinarily resident and (c) non-resident; and what (i) UK and (ii) foreign income was declared by each group in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(155851)

298
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects figures for the number of individuals indicating non-domicile tax status through their self-assessment returns in 2005-06 to be available.

(155853)

299
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much landfill tax was paid by (a) waste disposal authorities and (b) other local authorities in each of the last 10 years.

(156502)

300
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much landfill tax was hypothecated to local authorities via the Revenue Support Grant Settlements in each of the last four financial years.

(156503)

301
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average (a) annual incomes and (b) annual gross disposable household incomes were in (i) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall, (ii) the South West, (iii) England and (iv) the UK in 2006.

(156664)

302
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money was received into the public purse from people in Cornwall by (a) Pay As You Earn, (b) national insurance, (c) VAT, (d) corporation tax and (e) road tax in each year since 1979.

(156665)

303
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of personal debt incurred by people living in Cornwall was in each year since 1979.

(156666)

304
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the gross value added was for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in each year since 2004.

(156667)

305
Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the economic review of trading funds will include a consultation process with public and private sector stakeholders.

(154391)

306
N Mr Paul Truswell (Pudsey):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what evaluation he has made of the abuse of accommodation address agencies by perpetrators of fraud relating to (a) taxes, (b) customs and excise and (c) other criminal activity relating to the resonsibilities of his Department.

(156594)

307
Joan Walley (Stoke-on-Trent North):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice is given to claimants when there is a significant delay in amending a claimant's award notice following a change in their circumstances to enable them to calculate their tax credit entitlement when payments continue.

(155749)

308
Mr David Willetts (Havant):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the figures are that underly the chart at the web address http://csr07.treasury.gov.uk/spending-by-age/.

(156597)

309
Stephen Williams (Bristol West):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for VAT registration were processed within (a) 14, (b) 30, (c) 60, (d) 90 and (e) more than 90 days after their sumbission to HM Revenue and Customs in the 12 month period ending 31st March.

(154440)

310
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of personal debt is (a) secured and (b) unsecured; and if he will make a statement.

(156261)

311
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of (a) total, (b) secured and (c) unsecured personal debt in the UK is as a percentage of gross disposable income; and if he will make a statement.

(156262)

312
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the level of (a) total, (b) secured, (c) average secured, (d) unsecured and (e) average unsecured personal debt is in (i) the UK and (ii) each region; and if he will make a statement.

(156263)

313
Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Treasury has raised in duty from the sale of National Lottery tickets in each year since the Lottery was established; and if he will make a statement.

(156264)

314
Mike Wood (Batley & Spen):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what process is followed by HM Revenue and Customs when dealing with appeals against the decisions they make in calculating child and working tax credit entitlement.

(155973)

315
Mike Wood (Batley & Spen):To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many appeals have been (a) lodged and (b) heard, broken down by outcome, in relation to the calculation of child and working tax credit entitlements.

(155974)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

316
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make it his policy to require all major new-build for schools to meet a minimum BREEAM rating of excellent in accordance with the Common Minimum Standards; and if he will make a statement.

(153858)

317
N Mr John Baron (Billericay):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of the likely effectiveness of the use of guardians in place of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers to represent children's interests; and if he will make a statement.

(156655)

318
N Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset & North Poole):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment his Department has made of the role voluntary organisations can play in ensuring that parents and guardians become more involved in their children's reading tuition.

(153855)

319
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what support his Department provides to parents in areas with high levels of gang and gun-related crime to help ensure that children do not become involved in criminal activity.

(154095)

320
Philip Davies (Shipley):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what estimate he has made of the proportion of children educated at home who were entered for GCSEs/A levels in each of the last three years; and what assessment he has made of how their results compared with those educated at school.

(154756)

321
David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children in England are foreign nationals.

(156311)

322
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps his Department and the Learning and Skills Councils are taking to ensure the learning and skills sector meets the needs of young women; and if he will make a statement.

(154445)

323
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps his Department and the Learning and Skills Councils are taking to ensure equality of access leading to equality of work opportunities for young women.

(154446)

324
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make a statement on sector skills councils' targets to increase diversity.

(154447)

325
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how sector skills councils will ensure that young women who want to go into industry can gain entry to apprenticeships and skills training; and if he will make a statement.

(154448)

326
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service

(154677)

327
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by the Children's Commissioner for England.

(154553)

328
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by Ofsted.

(154556)

329
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority classifies the new secondary curriculum as (a) outcomes-based and (b) child-centred.

(154335)

330
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, where the programmes of study for the new secondary curriculum rejects (a) constructivism, (b) whole language teaching and (c) fuzzy maths as stated by the Chief Executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in his speech on the launch of the new secondary curriculum.

(154340)

331
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of health and safety implications of the use of interactive whiteboards in classrooms.

(154520)

332
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, for what reasons mature students born before 1st September 1979 are required to have a GCSE at grade C or above (or recognised equivalent) in science in order to begin initial teacher training; and if he will make a statement.

(154521)

333
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what criteria the review of primary and early years mathematics teaching led by Sir Peter Williams will adopt for giving weight to submissions received.

(154606)

334
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of pupils attained (a) Level 2 or above, (b) Level 2A or above and (c) Level 3 or above in the Key Stage 1 assessments in (i) mathematics, (ii) reading and (iii) writing in each year between 1995 and 2007.

(155591)

335
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the average pupil mobility rate was in schools in (a) England and (b) each English local authority area in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006.

(155606)

336
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of pupils who attained level 5 or below in the 2007 Key Stage 3 tests in (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science in each year since 1997 had previously attained level 5 or above at Key Stage 2.

(155901)

337
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, in which month secondary schools receive Key Stage 2 test results data for each of the pupils entering the school in year 7.

(155966)

338
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of pupils who took the Key Stage 3 tests in (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science in each year since 1997 attained the same level or below the level they attained at Key Stage 2 (i) in total and (ii) for pupils who attained (A) level 3, (B) level 4 and (C) level 5 at Key Stage 2.

(156041)

339
Mr Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis & Littlehampton):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, when he will answer Question 148140, on the Building Schools for the Future programme, tabled on 3rd July by the hon. member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

(156239)

340
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham & Amersham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many complaints have been made to him about the marking of the Key Stage 3 English SATs in 2007.

(156007)

341
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the average (a) duration and (b) cost of an Ofsted inspection of a (i) primary and (ii) secondary school was in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

(154782)

342
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by the Adult Learning Inspectorate Agency.

(154725)

343
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many fixed period exclusions there were per pupil in 2005-06.

(154279)

344
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many pupils took unauthorised absences at least once in each of the last five school years.

(154280)

345
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much the Government has spent on anti-truancy measures since 1997.

(154281)

346
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

(154428)

347
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede & Weybridge):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by the Training and Development Agency for Schools.

(154429)

348
Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many (a) males and (b) females aged between 16 and 25 were not in education, employment or training in (i) 1997, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2005 and (iv) 2007.

(156164)

349
Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much was spent by local education authorities on the provision of special educational needs education at facilities (a) outside the relevant local authority area and (b) run by the independent sector.

(156165)

350
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make it his policy to advise schools to check the credentials of any (a) religious and (b) other organisations they choose to work with; and if he will make a statement.

(156606)

351
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 16th July 2007, Official Report, column 126W, on teachers: assessments, to which part of Key Stage 4 of the national curriculum the qualified teacher status skills tests equate.

(154103)

352
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what role the (a) academy sponsor and (b) local authority plays in deciding whether an academy should be a new-build or refurbishment project.

(154104)

353
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 16th July 2007, Official Report, column 91W, on Building Schools for the Future: private finance initiative, whether he plans to use PFI schemes for the procurement of academies.

(154116)

354
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which private consultancy firms (a) his Department and (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

(155877)

355
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

(155885)

356
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many (a) competition managers and (b) sports co-ordinators for schools have been appointed.

(155759)

357
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much funding from the Building Schools for the Future initiative has been spent on modern sports facilities.

(155760)

358
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many academies have charitable investment funds established by their sponsors following changes to the programme announced in March 2006; and what information his Department collects on the use to which such funds are put.

(156255)

359
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many academies have begun sharing their facilities with (a) other schools and (b) the local community following the changes to VAT announced in the 2007 Budget.

(156436)

360
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, when he intends to publish the fourth report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers into the academies programme.

(156437)

361
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and which academies appoint an elected teacher or staff representative to their governing bodies.

(156438)

362
N Helen Jones (Warrington North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and which academies have reached recognition agreements with (a) teaching unions and (b) unions representing other members of staff.

(156439)

363
Miss Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of teachers with training in severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties.

(154607)

364
Miss Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what estimate he has made of the likely number of children with complex educational needs arising from learning difficulties entering (a) primary and (b) secondary education in each of the next five years.

(154608)

365
N Mr Mark Lancaster (North East Milton Keynes):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what qualifications are required to be an examiner for (a) A levels and (b) GCSEs.

(156524)

366
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many teachers are qualified to teach (a) Mandarin and (b) Urdu.

(153820)

367
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what level of qualification teachers will need to teach (a) Mandarin and (b) Urdu.

(153821)

368
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much is planned to be spent on training of (a) Mandarin and (b) Urdu teachers in 2007-08.

(153822)

369
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps are being taken to recruit speakers of Mandarin and Urdu into the teaching profession.

(153823)

370
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many new teachers of (a) Mandarin and (b) Urdu are expected to be recruited over the next five years.

(153824)

371
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what new languages other than Mandarin and Urdu will be available in schools under the changes to the national curriculum.

(153825)

372
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many sponsors of academies have (a) not paid and (b) delayed paying their full contribution.

(153826)

373
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much is owed to the Government by academy sponsors.

(153827)

374
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many work experience schemes are run by schools in each (a) Government region and (b) local education authority.

(153828)

375
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what experiments were banned in science lessons in secondary schools in each year since 1997.

(153829)

376
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps are being taken to improve co-operation between academies and the Specialist Schools and Academy Trust; and what assessment he has made of those levels of co-operation.

(153830)

377
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his assessment is of the new sponsorship arrangements for academies, with particular reference to co-sponsorship by local authorities; and to what extent academies will remain independent under such arrangements.

(153831)

378
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of children's centres in targeting the most disadvantaged children and families; and if he will make a statement.

(153832)

379
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps his Department is taking to ensure children's centres are father friendly; and if he will make a statement.

(153833)

380
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of children's centres' effectiveness in working with community organisations.

(153834)

381
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many school trips were made by (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in each (i) Government region and (ii) local education authority in each of the last 10 years.

(153835)

382
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many school trips abroad were made by schools in each (a) Government region and (b) local education authority in each of the last 10 years.

(153836)

383
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the average cost of insurance for school trips was in each year since 1997.

(153837)

384
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what average length of time per week children at Key Stage 1 spend on free play.

(153838)

385
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much was spent on careers advice for those under 19 years of age in each of the last 10 years.

(153839)

386
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what minimum academic qualifications are required of school (a) teaching assistants, (b) technicians, (c) unqualified teachers and (d) other school support staff.

(153878)

387
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the incidence of sexual abuse of children was in England in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

(153938)

388
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the incidence of physical violence against children by parents and carers was in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

(153939)

389
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many children were on the Child Protection Register in each local authority area in England in each year since 1985-86; and if he will make a statement.

(153940)

390
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his latest estimate is of the proportion of child sexual abuse committed by family members or carers of the victim; and if he will make a statement.

(153942)

391
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of the teaching workforce was aged over (a) 40, (b) 50, (c) 55 and (d) 60 years in each year since 1990-91.

(153943)

392
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of newly qualified teachers left the profession in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

(153944)

393
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the (a) target and (b) outturn numbers of recruits to initial teacher training in each secondary school subject were in each year since 2001-02; what the target is for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

(153945)

394
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps the Government is taking in relation to subject areas where there are teacher shortages; and if he will make a statement.

(153946)

395
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what proportion of headteacher posts were vacant in each reporting period since 1996-97.

(153947)

396
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which 10 local authorities had the highest vacancy rates for (a) teachers and (b) headteachers in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

(153948)

397
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of new (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers had a degree level qualification in each year since 1996-97.

(153949)

398
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of school classroom assistants have no GCSE qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

(153950)

399
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of teachers in secondary schools were on long-term sick leave in each year since 1985-86; and if he will make a statement.

(153951)

400
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of curriculum time was devoted to (a) sport, (b) art, (c) music and (d) languages in secondary schools in each year since 1997.

(153952)

401
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of children in secondary schools were taught in classes with (a) streaming and (b) setting in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

(153953)

402
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what number and proportion of children in care were educated in state boarding schools in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

(153954)

403
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what funding his Department has allocated for a nationwide summer residential programme for school students in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008; and if he will make a statement.

(153955)

404
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what plans he has to increase the share of national income spent on education from 2005 levels over the period 2007 to 2011; and if he will make a statement.

(153956)

405
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many incidents there were in schools involving the use of (a) knives and (b) firearms in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(153968)

406
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many pupils there were in (a) pupil referral units and (b) other out-of-school units in each year from 1996 to 2007; and if he will make a statement.

(153969)

407
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many parenting orders were issued as a consequence of pupil non-attendance at schools in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

(153970)

408
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that all 16 to 19 year olds in employment have access to training; and if he will make a statement.

(153971)

409
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the minimum GCSE requirements to be a teacher are; what they were in each year since 1986-87; and if he will make a statement.

(154002)

410
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of teachers were (a) full-time, (b) part-time, (c) occasional, (d) unqualified and (e) on employment-based routes for each year group and for each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07; and what the equivalent expected figures are for 2007-08.

(154003)

411
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many unqualified teachers taught in state-funded schools in each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07; how many are expected to teach in such schools in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

(154004)

412
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many pupils in secondary schools were taught by a teacher without specialist educational qualifications in the subject being taught in (a) physics, (b) chemistry, (c) mathematics, (d) modern foreign languages, (e) technology and (f) music in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

(154005)

413
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his latest estimates are of the pupil-teacher ratios in (a) all secondary schools and (b) academies; and if he will make a statement.

(154006)

414
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps he is taking to bring funding levels for 16 to 18 year olds in further education colleges up to the funding levels in schools; and if he will make a statement.

(154008)

415
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of bringing per capita funding of pupils aged 16 to 18 years old in further education colleges in line with funding levels in secondary schools.

(154337)

416
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what information his Department collects on the proportion of pupils aged 16 to 18 years in (a) further education colleges and (b) school sixth forms from highly deprived groups.

(154338)

417
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make a statement on the development of the (a) 14-19 curriculum and (b) vocational education.

(154517)

418
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he plans to raise the minimum standards required to teach in the state-funded sector.

(154522)

419
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many assaults there were on school teachers in 2005-06 which led to exclusions, broken down by (a) by category of assault and (b) local education authority; and if he will make a statement.

(154523)

420
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will publish the latest figures for funding per pupil in each English school; and if he will make a statement.

(154524)

421
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make a statement on his plans to reform deprivation-related funding for schools.

(154525)

422
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what plans he has to require all academies to accept local authority governors onto their governing bodies; and if he will make a statement.

(154526)

423
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to levy fines on 17 and 18 year olds who are not in education or training; and if he will make a statement.

(154527)

424
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he plans to give schools complete control over non-selective admissions policy.

(154528)

425
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will extend the freedoms available to academies to all state schools which meet minimum performance criteria; and if he will make a statement.

(154529)

426
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will abolish the right of appeal to local education authorities in respect of pupils who have been permanently excluded from school; how many permanent exclusions were overturned on appeal in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

(154530)

427
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the total cost was of performance related pay in (a) his Department and (b) schools in each year since 1990-91; how much it is expected to be in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

(154531)

428
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to use criminal sanctions against (a) parents and (b) children who do not stay in education in the future to age 18 years; and if he will make a statement.

(154538)

429
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his latest estimate is of total expenditure on outstanding private finance initiative transactions relating to schools and early years for each year from 2007-08 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

(154539)

430
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to withhold driving licences from people below the age of 18 years who do not participate in education or training; and if he will make a statement.

(154541)

431
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of (a) girls and (b) boys gained five GCSEs at grade A to C in each year since 1987-88; and if he will make a statement.

(154601)

432
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of the effects of performance-related pay on (a) teaching quality and (b) pupil attainment; and if he will make a statement.

(154602)

433
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he has changed his policy on the promotion of parental choice in relation to schools; and if he will make a statement.

(154611)

434
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will take steps to allocate higher levels of funding to school pupils from deprived backgrounds; and if he will make a statement.

(154612)

435
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether he has made an analysis of the potential use of school vouchers in the primary and secondary school system; and if he will make a statement.

(154613)

436
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his latest estimate is of the level of inflation in private sector school fees; and if he will make a statement.

(154617)

437
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his policy is on establishing academies in areas where local authorities object; and if he will make a statement.

(154706)

438
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, when his (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers briefed journalists at the Financial Times on his statement on 10th July 2007; and if he will make a statement.

(154707)

439
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what benchmarking analysis he has conducted of the average level of annual fees for schools in the private sector in England, broken down by (a) (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools and (b) (i) boarding and (ii) non-boarding schools in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

(154708)

440
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the pupil to teacher ratio was in English (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007.

(154710)

441
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of GCSE students achieved (a) five GCSEs at A-C and (b) English and mathematics GCSEs at A-C since 1995-96; and if he will make a statement.

(154711)

442
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps he is taking to support (a) families and (b) marriage through his policies; and if he will make a statement.

(154712)

443
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his policy is on greater diversity of school choice for parents and pupils; and if he will make a statement.

(154713)

444
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will set a target for 80 per cent. of pupils to pass five or more GCSEs at A-C grade by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

(154714)

445
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will break down the public cost of raising the education leaving age to 18 years by main subheading.

(154715)

446
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his policy is on the relationship between school standards and structural reforms; and if he will make a statement.

(154757)

447
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what his policy is on phasing the raising of the education leaving age to 18; and if he will make a statement.

(154758)

448
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what sanctions he plans for children over the age of 16 who fail to attend school or take up training should the education leaving age be raised to 18; and if he will make a statement.

(154759)

449
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of speech therapists for pupils in schools.

(154760)

450
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many schools provide a school meals service; what estimate he has made of the number of pupils eating school meals; what assessment he has made of the financial viability of the school meals service in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

(154785)

451
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of whether absolute A-level standards have changed over the last 20 years, pursuant to the comments of the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education; and if he will make a statement.

(154786)

452
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Answer of 17th July 2007, Official Report, columns 287-8W, on academies, if he will extend to all schools the freedoms available to academies; and if he will make a statement.

(154791)

453
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will list the planned changes to school meal standards in England in each year from 2007 to 2011; and if he will make a statement.

(155979)

454
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many school lunches were served in England in each year from 1996-97 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

(155980)

455
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will make a statement on the Government's progress towards its target of increased take-up of school meals.

(155981)

456
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether it is his policy that academies should follow local authority admissions procedures; and if he will make a statement.

(155982)

457
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, for what reasons his Department has decided to require academies to follow the National Curriculum programmes of study in English, Maths and IT; and if he will make a statement.

(155983)

458
Mr David Laws (Yeovil):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of the improvement in GCSE results at academies, compared to their predecessor schools, is due to the increased uptake of GNVQ exams; and if he will make a statement.

(155984)

459
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what accounts directions were issued by his Department's predecessors in financial years (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(156623)

460
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, if he will list his Department and its predecessors in (a) executive agencies, (b) executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), (c) advisory NDPBs, (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations for each financial year since 2005-06.

(156646)

461
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what estimate he has made of the number of publicly run play areas for children available in (a) 1997 and (b) 2007.

(154787)

462
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what advice he has issued to local authorities on the commercial sponsorship of children's play facilities.

(154788)

463
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age children undertaking two hours physical exercise per week in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007.

(154789)

464
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many youth clubs are funded by his Department.

(154790)

465
Tim Loughton (East Worthing & Shoreham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much has been spent on youth clubs by his Department in the last 12 months.

(154792)

466
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many press officers are employed by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

(154467)

467
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which are the 200 schools with the highest number of permanent and temporary exclusions over the last 10 years.

(156633)

468
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many primary schools in each local education authority area primarily occupy buildings built before 1930.

(156634)

469
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which 200 secondary schools had the lowest post-16 staying-on rate in full-time education at the most recent date for which figures are available.

(156635)

470
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many climbing walls there are in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools.

(156685)

471
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which are the 200 lowest performing primary schools in terms of (a) SATs results and (b) value added over the last 10 years.

(156691)

472
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which are the 200 lowest performing secondary schools in terms of (a) GCSE results, (b) value added and (c) the number of pupils leaving with no GCSE grade A to C passes over the last 10 years.

(156692)

473
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many posts have been vacant in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for more than three months.

(153997)

474
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the average number of reports prepared by each caseworker in (a) public and (b) private law was in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last five years.

(153998)

475
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether there has been an effect on the timing of preparation of child protection cases arising from staff (a) turnover and (b) shortages in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the 2006-07 financial year.

(153999)

476
Julie Morgan (Cardiff North):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, whether any damages have been paid by local authorities to parents in care proceedings because of poor service delivery in the last 12 months.

(154000)

477
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of whether all the incentives created by the five per cent. levy on school budget surpluses are in line with the objectives of that policy; and if he will make a statement.

(156274)

478
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what provisional costing he has made in relation to the redistribution of funding through the five per cent. levy on school budget surpluses.

(156275)

479
Mr Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many schools he expects to be liable for the five per cent. levy on school budget surpluses.

(156278)

480
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what estimate he has made of the number of schools that were flooded in England in June and July 2007.

(153844)

481
Mr Siôn Simon (Birmingham, Erdington):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what means local authorities have used to finance public transport discount schemes for those aged 18 years and under; and at what cost.

(153758)

482
Mr Siôn Simon (Birmingham, Erdington):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many local authority children and young people plans refer to transport planning for those aged 18 and under, with particular reference to ensuring access for them to (a) education and (b) recreational opportunities.

(153760)

483
Mr Siôn Simon (Birmingham, Erdington):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of section 6 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 promoting greater access by local authorities to (a) educational and (b) recreational leisure time opportunities; and if he will make a statement.

(153761)

484
Ms Gisela Stuart (Birmingham, Edgbaston):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the work underway in the UK in relation to language and social inclusion through the Asset languages programme and UK Languages Ladder initiative (a) is better known across the European Union and (b) is taken into consideration as arrangements are made to operationalise the European Indicators Project as agreed by the Council of Ministers in Barcelona (2002).

(154196)

485
Ms Gisela Stuart (Birmingham, Edgbaston):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps his Department is taking to ensure full participation in the European Indicators Project by official bodies and UK assessment organisations.

(154220)

486
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what proportion of primary and secondary schools are rural in (a) England, (b) Cornwall, (c) the South West and (d) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall.

(156313)

487
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what the average distance travelled to school by (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils was in (i) England, (ii) Cornwall, (iii) each of the parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall and (iv) the South West in the most recent period for which figures are available.

(156318)

488
Stephen Williams (Bristol West):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what funding (a) is and (b) is planned to be made available for initiatives that encourage parents to assist their children in learning to read.

(154017)

489
Stephen Williams (Bristol West):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Written Statement on 25th July 2007, on the electronic common assessment framework, whether Criminal Records Bureau checks and other checks made to personnel authorised to use the system will also be applied to those who are commissioned to service and maintain the system.

(154081)

490
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many secondary school places were maintained in each year since 1997.

(154449)

491
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many schools have been opened since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

(154450)

492
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how much was spent on training teachers' assistants in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

(154451)

493
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many teaching assistants became higher level teaching assistants in each year since 1997.

(154454)

494
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many teaching assistants have reached NVQ level (a) 2 and (b) 3 of the Training Development for School programme.

(154455)

495
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what recent assessment he has made of the literacy attainment of looked-after children.

(154596)

496
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what programmes are in place to ensure that looked-after children have access to one-to-one reading tuition when necessary.

(154599)

497
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that looked-after children do not fall behind with their reading skills.

(154600)

498
Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, when the executive responsible for the federated academy on the Isle of Sheppey expects to publish its consultation plans on which specialism will be available for each school site.

(155664)

499
Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, who sits on the Children's Plan 8-13 working group; and how frequently it meets.

(155921)

500
Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey):To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, who will act as the accounting agency for Building Schools for the Future budgets in each local authority.

(156023)

Questions to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

501
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list the Government-approved auction houses.

(153875)

502
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how much grant funding was given to third sector organisations by (a) the Active Community Directors' and (b) the Social Enterprise Unit in each year of their operation.

(154474)

503
N Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the Government's policy is on paying foregone interest when money owed or promised to charities is delayed.

(154537)

504
N Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the purpose is of the review of the Office of the Third Sector; and how long it is planned to take.

(154540)

505
N Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether the results of the review of the Office of the Third Sector will be made publicly available.

(154603)

506
N Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the cost was of redesigning the FutureBuilders logo.

(154604)

507
N Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what record has been kept of charities and social enterprises launched as part of Government initiatives since 1997.

(154605)

508
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what budget has been allocated to the commissioning of social enterprise think pieces as announced by the Office of the Third Sector on 8th Februrary.

(155626)

509
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what assessment has been made of the impact of the Charities Act on (a) the workload and (b) the adequacy of funding of the Charity Commission.

(155627)

510
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what meetings Cabinet Office ministers have held with representatives of the Smith Institute since May 2005.

(155628)

511
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what steps were taken by the Office of the Third Sector to inform the voluntary sector and the general public about the reduction in the rate of gift aid that resulted from the change in income tax rates in the last Budget; and when those steps were taken.

(155629)

512
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what target the Government has set to increase charitable donations in real terms over the 10 year period to 2014; and what steps the Government is taking to monitor and report on progress towards meeting this target.

(155630)

513
Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether the winners of the contract to host the Centre of Excellence for Charitable Giving will also be able to bid for research work commissioned by the Centre.

(155631)

514
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many (a) bowsers and (b) portaloos the public sector has access to for utilising in a national emergency situation; whether there are plans to increase those numbers; and if he will make a statement.

(154345)

515
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many press officers are employed by the Charity Commission.

(154419)

516
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what estimate he has made of the (a) percentage of software by value procured using Open Source and (b) percentage of software projects procured using Open Source in each of the last five years for which information is available.

(154773)

517
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what plans he has to promote the use of Open Source IT by Government bodies; and what targets exist for the use of Open Source.

(154774)

518
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what assessment his Department has made of the potential of Open Source software to produce efficiency savings.

(154775)

519
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what steps have been taken following his Department's publication of Open Source Software Use Within UK Government in 2004; and if he will make a statement.

(154776)

520
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which of the seven next steps listed on page six of his Department's publication Open Source Software Use Within UK Government published in 2004, have been implemented; and if he will make a statement.

(154777)

521
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what advice has been issued by the Office of Government Commerce to departments on the use of Open Source information technology.

(154778)

522
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what changes he has made to No. 10 Downing Street since 27th June 2007 to make it more environmentally friendly.

(154088)

523
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which private consultancy firms (a) his Department and (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

(155878)

524
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

(155884)

525
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will list his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) executive Non-Department Public Bodies (NDPBs, (c) advisory NDPBs), (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations for each financial year since 2005-06.

(156614)

526
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what accounts directions were issued by his Department in financial years (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(156615)

527
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many press officers are employed by the Independent Complaints Reviewer to the Charity Commission.

(154461)

528
Mrs Theresa May (Maidenhead):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the total estimated annual cost is of (a) expenses, (b) salary, (c) office space, (d) administrative support and (e) special advisers for the Minister for the Olympics.

(154700)

529
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report on variable charging for domestic rubbish collection.

(153811)

530
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire of 26th March 2007, Official Report, column 1393W, on Departments: publications, if he will place in the Library a copy of the July 2007 edition of the Central Office of Information's White Book.

(153889)

531
Mr John Spellar (Warley):To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what the declared individual political affiliations are of the Civil Service Commissioners.

(156719)

Questions to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

532
Norman Baker (Lewes):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) enforcement notices were served and (b) prosecutions were brought as a result of non-compliance with the energy efficiency requirements in Part L of the Building Regulations in each year between 2002 and 2007.

(153856)

533
N John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what European Union assistance is available to help rebuild communities damaged by floodwater; and if she will make a statement.

(153309)

534
N John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to apply for EU funding assistance to help communities rebuild after the recent flooding; and what the deadline is for applying for any such assistance.

(153310)

535
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the ability of key workers in London to buy property in London.

(155609)

536
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd July 2007, Official Report, column 745W, on housing: immigration, how many of the additional households projected by each of the sets of household projections referred to in that Answer were projected to be in (a) London and (b) each region of England.

(154029)

537
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many individuals obtained a tenancy of social housing without holding an existing social housing tenancy in each year since 1997.

(155989)

538
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many A8 accession state nationals have (a) obtained a social housing tenancy from a local authority, (b) obtained a social housing tenancy from a registered social landlord and (c) have purchased social housing from either a local authority or a registered social landlord in each year since 2004.

(155994)

539
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12th September 2007, Official Report, column 2129W, on Housing: low incomes, if she will give a break down by region of the number of social lettings let to foreign nationals in 2005-06.

(156010)

540
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12th September 2007, Official Report, column 2129W, on housing: low incomes, what estimate she has made of the number of foreign nationals obtaining general needs lettings in 2005-06, broken down by nationality; and what recent estimate she has made of the total number of foreign nationals who are tenants of social housing.

(156250)

541
Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the proportion of total housing demand which would result from the Office of National Statistics' assumption of long-term net migration of 190,000 each year for the number of years for which forecasts are available; and what number of housing units this proportion would represent.

(156472)

542
Mr Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24th July 2007, Official Report, column 957W, on departments: legislation, which (a) sections and (b) schedules of the specified acts have (i) been repealed and (ii) not been brought into force.

(154205)

543
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will make a statement on the future of fire control at the TriService Emergency Headquarters in Quedgeley.

(156298)

544
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the UK Government has received a reasoned opinion from the European Commission on the implementation of the Race Equality Directive (2000/43/CE); and if she will make a statement.

(154013)

545
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the merits of changing the building regulations to require all new build homes to be built to lifetime home standards.

(155968)

546
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the merits of requiring 10 per cent. of all new build housing to be wheelchair accessible throughout.

(155969)

547
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities with housing responsibilities in England have an adapted homes register.

(155970)

548
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the merits of requiring all local authorities with housing responsibilities to maintain an adapted homes register.

(155971)

549
Jon Cruddas (Dagenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the merits of the creation of a nation-wide adapted homes register.

(155972)

550
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what financial provision has been made for local authorities which are conducting pay and grading reviews in order to comply with the Equal Pay Act 1974.

(156020)

551
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many private developments have met the 50 per cent. affordable housing target since its inception, broken down by London borough.

(154055)

552
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what percentage of people were (a) homeless and (b) on the council housing waiting list in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

(154806)

553
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authority houses were (a) sold and (b) demolished in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(154811)

554
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what percentage of new homes were built on brownfield sites in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(154812)

555
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes were built in each London borough in each of the last five years.

(154813)

556
Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey & Wood Green):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average waiting time was for council housing in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

(154814)

557
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many press officers are employed by the Housing Corporation.

(154423)

558
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions in each of the last 10 years fire-fighting operations involved the use of materials containing perfluoro octane sulphanate.

(155722)

559
N Damian Green (Ashford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, from which local authorities her Department has received representations on the Government's estimation of their populations; and if she will make a statement.

(156395)

560
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd July 2007, Official Report, column 752W, on rights of way, whether the Independent Planning Commission will be required to undertake consultation with (a) the public and (b) user groups to ascertain whether alternative rights of way are being provided or the current rights of way are not needed.

(154348)

561
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans she has (a) to offer financial support to local government for equal pay between men and women and (b) to promote equal pay in local government; and if she will make a statement.

(154408)

562
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with other Ministerial colleagues on the provision of policy guidance for the needs of existing homes for energy improvement in any forthcoming policy papers; and if she will make a statement.

(155744)

563
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to make changes to the Merton Rule on renewable energy in new developments; and if she will make a statement.

(155745)

564
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to respond to the recommendations in the Communities and Local Government Committee Report on council tax benefits (HC 718) ; and if she will make a statement.

(156695)

565
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what council tax benefits were paid in each local authority in Hampshire in each year since 2000-01; what estimate she has made of the number of eligible people failing to claim such benefits in each local authority; and if she will make a statement.

(156696)

566
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many press officers are employed by the South East England Regional Assembly.

(154157)

567
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many press officers are employed by the Ordnance Survey Agency.

(154178)

568
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

(155886)

569
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which private consultancy firms (a) her Department and (b) agencies which report to her Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

(155898)

570
Mr Adam Holloway (Gravesham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the council tax collection rates of (a) Gravesham, (b) other councils in Kent and (c) other councils in the South East Government Office in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

(154569)

571
Mr Adam Holloway (Gravesham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of home condition reports commissioned to date in the South East Government Office region; and if she will make a statement.

(154570)

572
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what percentage of (a) housing association and (b) private sector housing within Peterborough constituency was judged to be unfit in each year since 1997.

(154068)

573
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many houses were built by (a) private sector companies, (b) housing associations and (c) the local authority within the Peterborough City Council area in each year since 1997.

(154069)

574
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many households were on waiting lists for homes in Peterborough in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

(154692)

575
Mr Fraser Kemp (Houghton & Washington East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the average annual salary costs of directly elected mayors in England for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

(156561)

576
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 19th June 2007, Official Report, column 1679W, on the Public Sector Relocation Independent Review, whether her Department has destroyed any documents relating to the Lyons Inquiry into Local Government since the transfer of the documents from the inquiry to the responsibility of her Department.

(154028)

577
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what changes have been made to the recommendations in Planning Policy Statement 3 on the minimum and maximum amount of car parking in new residential developments.

(154074)

578
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to amend the Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) Order 2007 during the course of 2007.

(154075)

579
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent representations she has received from the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors on the enforceability of home information pack regulations; what response she has made; and how she plans to enforce the regulations.

(154076)

580
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's estimate is of the number of fines to be issued each year against (a) home owners and (b) estate agents for breaches of the home information pack provisions.

(154077)

581
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many properties have been purchased under the Open Market Homebuy schemes.

(155676)

582
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will list the indicators which the Audit Commission collects from local authorities.

(155677)

583
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether representatives of her Department made any written submission or representation to the Lyons Inquiry on local government.

(155678)

584
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the purpose is of the Ordnance Survey's Map Watch initiative.

(155679)

585
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil penalties have been issued for failing to provide the Valuation Office Agency with information to value properties for business rates.

(155681)

586
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the expenditure by the Valuation Office Agency was in relation to conducting a non-domestic rating assessment of the Big Brother house at Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

(155682)

587
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will make a statement on the ruling of the Information Tribunal regarding the consideration of the planning application by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Vauxhall Tower in South London.

(155683)

588
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, why energy performance certificates will be valid for 10 years for properties for rent but not for properties for sale.

(155684)

589
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the regional spatial strategies have to review the Green Belt in each Government Office region.

(155685)

590
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning appeals relating to casinos or with a casino element have been considered by (a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) the First Secretary of State since November 2005.

(155686)

591
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities in relation to public liability and allotments.

(155687)

592
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will list the foreign trips which (a) she and (b) each other Minister in her Department has undertaken at cost to the public purse since the creation of her Department; and what the (a) destination and (b) purpose was of each visit.

(155688)

593
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have made of the effect on construction costs of building a zero-carbon home.

(155689)

594
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) purpose and (b) budget is of the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit.

(155690)

595
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who the Board members of the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit are; and by what process they were appointed.

(155691)

596
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many full-time equivalent staff work for the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit.

(155692)

597
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Valuation Office Agency's value significant codes of (a) ZL, (b) ZI and (c) ZH have a (i) positive and (ii) negative co-efficient applied to the variable in the multiple regression formula used in its automated valuation model.

(155693)

598
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many mobile phone masts are on the Valuation Office Agency's ratings list in England.

(155694)

599
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many councils she expects to be permitted to move ahead with a unitary bid in the initial stage following the prioritisation process outlined in the latest consulstion paper on unitary bids.

(155695)

600
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the housing stock in England is made up of three bedroom homes.

(155696)

601
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether concerns over problem gambling may be considered as a material factor when assessing a planning application for a casino.

(155697)

602
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Deprtment's expenditure was on away days located outside her Department's buildings in the last year for which figures are available.

(155698)

603
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether there is a derogation from the Working Time Directive for retained fire-fighters who have other employment.

(155699)

604
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's expenditure was on honoraria payments in the last year for which figures are available.

(155701)

605
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been produced for public authorities on procurement and public sector equality duties.

(155702)

606
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Valuebill XML schema.

(155703)

607
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will amend the regulations on mandatory council tax discounts to give the spouses or partners of members of the Armed Forces a single person discount whilst their partner is away on active service overseas.

(155704)

608
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many hectares of designated Green Belt land lost their Green Belt designation in each Government Office Region in England in each year since 1997.

(155705)

609
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what submissions or representations the Valuation Office Agency has made to her Department and its predecessor in relation to (a) home information packs and (b) energy performance certificates in the last 12 months.

(155706)

610
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many claims have been made against (a) her Department and (b) its agencies under the Sex Discrimination Act since 2002; and what the outcome of each case was.

(155707)

611
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was paid in aggregate to staff within the Home Information Pack Division in bonuses in the last year for which figures are available.

(155708)

612
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the XML Schema for the proposed register of energy performance certificates.

(155709)

613
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what expenditure has been incurred to date by her Department on the Local Government Today television channel.

(155710)

614
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether she expects home information packs to cost more for (a) four bedroom homes and (b) three bedroom homes than the figures stated previously for an average pack.

(155711)

615
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations her Department has received from organisations calling for energy performance certificates to be attached to valuations.

(155712)

616
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for publishing the conclusions and research relating to the Home Information Pack dry-runs and trials.

(155713)

617
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the total funding is being provided by her Department to subsidise (a) home information packs and (b) energy performance certificates.

(155714)

618
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the legal definition is of a bedroom for the purposes of the Home Information Pack provisions.

(155715)

619
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of the Audit Commission attending the Teammate International Forum in Tampa, Florida in November 2006.

(155716)

620
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what meetings representatives of her Department have had with (a) Flint Bishop solicitors and (b) Labour Legal Services in the last 12 months; and what representations her Department has received from each organisation in relation to home information packs in that period.

(155935)

621
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd March 2007, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, Official Report, column 1215W, on the Equal Opportunities Commission: manpower, what steps the Commission is taking to tackle the under-representation of men amongst employees of the Commission.

(156245)

622
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Trees in Towns II report commissioned by her Department.

(156513)

623
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what number and proportion of homes sold each year are (a) one or two, (b) three and (c) four or more bedroomed properties.

(156514)

624
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many appeals the Planning Inspectorate has ruled on in the last 24 months related to development on floodplains.

(156515)

625
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the ministerial responsibilities of each of her ministerial team are.

(156516)

626
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the provisions of the new PPS25 on development on flood plains apply to the development of power generation infrastructure, including electricity sub-stations.

(156517)

627
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of new domestic dwellings were built in areas of flood risk in each government office region in England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

(156518)

628
N Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many domestic dwellings in England have a unique property reference number.

(156519)

629
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for laying and ratification of secondary legislation in relation to areas where unitary local government bids (a) are still being considered and (b) have been approved.

(156577)

630
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's definition is of the probability of (a) low, (b) medium and (c) high flood risk in terms of the frequency in years at which an area is likely to flood.

(156578)

631
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the location is of each fire local control room in England, broken down by region; and how many people are employed at each.

(156579)

632
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which Government departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies have purchased licences to use the Ordnance Survey Pictometry product.

(156580)

633
Mrs Jacqui Lait (Beckenham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research her Department and its predecessor commissioned into trees in urban areas over the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

(156581)

634
Mr John Leech (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what investigations took place into the activities of the (a) Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, (b) the New Kadempa Tradition and (c) Soka Gakkai International before the Department took the final decision to grant funds to each organisation from the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund.

(156700)

635
Mr John Leech (Manchester, Withington):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations the Government has received on the activities of (a) The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, (b) The New Kadempa Tradition and (c) Soka Gakkai International; and when such representations were received.

(156701)

636
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what accounts directions were issued by her Department in financial year (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(156673)

637
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will list her Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), (c) advisory NDPBs, (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations for each financial year since 2005-06.

(156674)

638
Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the planning procedure is relating to (a) drainage and (b) sewerage for new housing developments in (i) England and (ii) Scotland; and if she will make a statement.

(154115)

639
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many press officers are employed by English Partnerships.

(154459)

640
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many press officers are employed by the QE2 Conference Centre.

(154739)

641
N Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what period and with whom she will consult consequent on the decision of the High Court in respect of her decision to reject the planning application submitted by George Wimpey for 571 residential units on former industrial land at Cory's Wharf, Purfleet; and if she will make a statement.

(156391)

642
N Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what factors and whose advice she took into account in deciding to call-in the planning application made by George Wimpey for 571 residential units at the former industrial land at Cory's Wharf, Purfleet; and if she will make a statement.

(156392)

643
N Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons she rejected the inspector's findings made in respect of the planning application by George Wimpey for 571 residential units at the former industrial land at Cory's Wharf, Purfleet and issued an alternative determination; and if she will make a statement.

(156393)

644
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what requests she has received from (a) Bassetlaw District Council, (b) Nottinghamshire County Council and (c) Manton Neighbourhood Renewal Pathfinder for inclusion in the participatory budgeting pilot.

(153853)

645
N John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what requests she received in July 2007 for assistance with flooding recovery and humanitarian aid by Bassetlaw District Council (a) in writing, (b) by e-mail and (c) by telephone.

(153854)

646
Mr Malcolm Moss (North East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 23rd July 2007, Official Report, column 735W on Departments: Berkeley Group, whether the Right hon. Member for Hull East met with (a) directors, representatives or lawyers acting for and (b) employees of (i) Berkeley Group Holdings plc, (ii) St George plc, (iii) Berkeley Homes plc, (iv) St James Group Ltd, (v) Berkeley First Ltd, (vi) Berkeley Commercial Development Ltd and (vii) Berkeley Strategic Land Ltd in a Ministerial capacity in the last three years; and whether any officials in her Department attended such meetings.

(156240)

647
N Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department has to implement the proposals set out in its recent report on Councillor Involvement in Planning Decisions in respect of biological treatment infrastructure.

(154152)

648
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) South Cambridgeshire and (b) East Cambridgeshire were accepted as homeless in each year since 1997.

(153763)

649
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many empty homes there were in (a) South Cambridgeshire and (b) East Cambridgeshire in each of the last five years.

(153764)

650
John Penrose (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce the Key Worker Living Programme (a) in Weston-Super-Mare and (b) elsewhere in the South West.

(155915)

651
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes built in the last 10 years suffered flood damage in June and July 2007.

(153843)

652
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her most recent estimate is of the number of homes that were flooded in England in June and July 2007.

(153845)

653
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many council tenants in London are classed as living in overcrowded accommodation.

(154383)

654
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the legal status is of housing associations.

(154384)

655
Andrew Rosindell (Romford):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to prevent land banking by housing developers.

(154385)

656
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library copies of the submissions to the consultation on the most recent revision to PPS25.

(153784)

657
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which public sector bodies are entitled to undertake (a) primary disclosures and (b) secondary disclosure of information from (i) the Home Condition Report database and (ii) the Energy Performance Certificate database.

(153785)

658
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will make a statement on her plans to encourage a greater take-up of empty dwelling management orders.

(153793)

659
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) home condition reports and (b) energy performance certificates have been logged on their respective online registers.

(153794)

660
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether (a) home information packs and (b) energy performance certificates may include the unique property reference number or a BS7666-compliant address of the domestic dwelling.

(153795)

661
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) home condition reports and (b) energy performance certificates (EPCs) that will be lodged on the respective online registers once (i) home information packs are required for all homes and (ii) EPCs are required for rented and social domestic dwellings.

(153796)

662
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on council tax bills of the recent flooding in the worst flood-hit areas.

(153797)

663
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much development is expected to take place on flood plains under the building plans laid out in the prevailing Regional Planning Guidance Notes.

(153798)

664
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the publication of the new integrated regional strategies; and how the roll-out of the existing regional spatial strategies will be affected.

(153799)

665
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the transfer of responsibilities on regional planning from regional assemblies to regional development agencies.

(153800)

666
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's definition is of (a) sub-national and (b) sub-regional governance.

(153801)

667
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many hard copies of the 2007 Housing Green Paper were printed and then discarded following the last minute changes to the document.

(153813)

668
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent on printing hard copies of (a) the 2007 Housing Green Paper, (b) the 2007 Planning White Paper and (c) the 2007 Sub-National Review document; and how many copies were printed of each.

(153814)

669
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what dates the Stakeholder Advisory Panel on Home Buying and Selling has met.

(153815)

670
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, under what circumstances mortgage lenders and automated valuation suppliers may use information from the Energy Performance Certificate register for automated valuations.

(153816)

671
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued on whether the forthcoming requirement for buildings over 1,000 square metres to display an energy certificate and advisory report applies to (a) churches and places of worship, (b) train stations, (c) venues licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 for the sale of alcohol and (d) care homes; and if she will make a statement.

(153817)

672
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who the members are of the Stakeholder Advisory Panel on Home Buying and Selling; and what criteria were used to appoint its members.

(153818)

673
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what her Department's definition is of a zero carbon residential dwelling.

(153869)

674
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for how long the regional assemblies outside London will receive central government grant.

(153902)

675
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the change in funding will be for regional development agencies when they are designated as regional planning bodies.

(153903)

676
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether primary or secondary legislation will be required to designate the regional development agencies as regional planning bodies.

(153904)

677
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which Minister approved the establishment of the National Register of Social Housing; and on what date approval was given.

(153905)

678
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the (a) Social Homebuy, (b) Open Markets Homebuy and (c) New Build Homebuy schemes apply to social tenants in Wales.

(153906)

679
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason the Green Belt Boundary Layer was removed from her Department's MapsOnTap database March 2007 data update.

(153907)

680
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Social Homebuy sales have been completed in each government office region in England.

(153908)

681
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Town and Country Planning (Residential Development on Greenfield Land) (England) Direction 2000 was cancelled.

(153909)

682
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether National Register of Social Housing is maintained in-house or by an external company.

(153910)

683
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has a target for the number of Social Homebuy sales between 2005 and 2010.

(153911)

684
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which department has lead responsibility for maintaining the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land.

(153912)

685
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will place in the Library a copy of the business case for the National Register of Social Housing.

(153913)

686
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the URLs are for the (a) Energy Performance Certificate database and (b) Home Condition Report database.

(153914)

687
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the source is of the dataset Areas of Land at Risk of Flooding held on her Department's MapsOnTap database.

(153915)

688
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the Valuation Office Agency's estimate is of the average increase in the capital value of a domestic dwelling from (a) a small wind turbine and (b) solar panels.

(153916)

689
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the review of the regional spatial strategies before 2011, further to the publication of the Housing Green Paper; and whether this will be undertaken by the regional chambers.

(153993)

690
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes South West, of 8th February 2007, Official Report, columns 1156-7, on home condition reports, who the independent researchers are; and if she will place in the Library a copy of their first report.

(153995)

691
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether (a) home inspectors and (b) domestic energy inspectors will be issued with official identity cards.

(154179)

692
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of trained and accredited (a) home inspectors and (b) domestic energy inspectors likely not to practise as such within (i) one and (ii) five years of qualifying.

(154334)

693
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of Social Homebuy purchasers have purchased (a) 100 per cent. shares and (b) shares between 10 per cent. and 100 per cent.

(155855)

694
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has produced on the (a) minimum and (b) maximum liability to be paid out on an insurance policy underwriting the accuracy and completeness of a personal search, in a Home Information Pack, not provided by a solicitor.

(155856)

695
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the mean age of a first-time buyer was in each year since 1997.

(155857)

696
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of her Department's target of building 240,000 new dwellings a year in England she expects to be built by (a) local authorities as council housing stock, (b) housing associations for social tenure and (c) the private sector for private sale.

(155858)

697
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the maximum time is that a local authority and water search in a home information pack can remain in place before it must be renewed.

(156562)

698
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the likely annual number of energy performance certificates that will need to be commissioned for (a) Social Homebuy sale, (b) New Build Homebuy sales and (c) Open Market Homebuy sales.

(156563)

699
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities may keep the income raised from home information pack fines levied by trading standards officers.

(156564)

700
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding has been provided under the new burden principle to local authority building control departments to enforce home information packs and energy performance certificates for new build properties.

(156565)

701
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department has given to Europe Economics in each year since 2002; and for what purpose in the case of each award.

(156599)

702
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average sale price for a (a) one, (b) two and (c) three bedroom dwelling was amongst the properties constructed in each area that took part in the design for manufacturer competition.

(156600)

703
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what procedures are in place for a home owner to appeal against the information and grading provided in an energy performance certficate; what the estimated average cost of such a procedure is; and whether the register of energy performance certificates may be amended.

(156601)

704
Grant Shapps (Welwyn Hatfield):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if a room described as a (a) study, (b) spare room and (c) HIP replacement room would be classed as a bedroom for the purposes of the requirements for three or four bedroom homes to have a home information pack.

(156602)

705
Mr John Spellar (Warley):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many council-owned houses have been built for rent in each West Midlands metropolitan district since 1997.

(156717)

706
Mr John Spellar (Warley):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent in London on rough sleepers by (a) central Government and (b) local authorities in each of the last five years.

(156718)

707
Mr Richard Spring (West Suffolk):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many press officers are employed by the Audit Commission.

(154150)

708
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on hospitality in each of the last five years.

(156423)

709
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what engagements have been undertaken by her and her departmental Ministers in the last three months.

(156424)

710
Andrew Stunell (Hazel Grove):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what individuals and organisations have been invited to discussions and meetings with her Department on community integration and cohesion issues in the last 12 months.

(156425)

711
Matthew Taylor (Truro & St Austell):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average (a) Band D council tax bill and (b) overall council tax bill was in (i) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall, (ii) the South West and (iii) England in each year since 1979.

(156663)

712
Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities had their bid for disabled facilities grant capital allocation for 2007-08 not met in full; what criteria are applied to decide the proportion of bid met; and if she will make a statement.

(153773)

713
Mr Mark Todd (South Derbyshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when she will publish the Government's response to the consultation on the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme: the Government's proposals to improve programme delivery.

(153774)

714
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many private finance initiatives projects her Department expects to sign in each of the next three years.

(154452)

715
Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if she will list the signed local authority private finance initiative projects for which her Department is responsible.

(154457)

716
Mike Wood (Batley & Spen):To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many empty homes in the private and social sectors she plans to bring back into use; and if she will make a statement.

(153792)

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

717
N John Barrett (Edinburgh West):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what spectrum bands will be available for Programme Making and Special Events use following the switchover to digital television broadcasting; and if he will make a statement.

(153652)

718
Mr Brian Binley (Northampton South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many fixed odds betting terminals are currently in use in England.

(156233)

719
Mr Brian Binley (Northampton South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Government policy is on the availability of fixed odds betting terminals; and if he will make a statement.

(156234)

720
Lorely Burt (Solihull):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it his policy to require UK tour operators to (a) check that staff employed in hotels abroad are screened to ensure that it is suitable for them to work with children and (b) inform customers if staff working hotels abroad, including those that have been franchised, have been convicted of any sexual offences involving minors.

(154637)

721
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on the legality under the terms of the Gaming Act 1968 of the operation of LiveRoulette broadcast on Freeview and Sky and its website www.liveroulette.com.

(154797)

722
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much lottery funding was awarded to projects in (a) Wirral South, (b) Wirral, (c) Merseyside, (d) the North West and (e) England per head of population in each of the last five years.

(154798)

723
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which projects were awarded funding by the Big Lottery Fund in each of the last five years in Wirral, broken down by constituency.

(154799)

724
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that remote gambling operators operate legally with respect to the location of servers in advance of the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 in September 2007.

(154800)

725
Ben Chapman (Wirral South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission's enforcement powers with respect to breaches of regulations; and if he will make a statement.

(154801)

726
Harry Cohen (Leyton & Wanstead):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it a mandatory licensing condition for nightclubs to operate a system of searching entrants for weapons.

(154094)

727
Clive Efford (Eltham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many voluntary organisations which were formerly funded from single regeneration budgets have bid for Big Lottery funding in each year for which figures are available; and how many have been successful in each year.

(155793)

728
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average cost of a bookmaker's premises licence is in each local authority in England and Wales.

(155610)

729
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many economists in his Department work specifically on tourism.

(155611)

730
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much was spent by local authorities in preparing bids for (a) small, (b) regional and (c) super casinos.

(155612)

731
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of seaside piers are publicly owned; and how many have (a) applied for and (b) been awarded funding from the National Lottery.

(155649)

732
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will list the locations of overseas offices of Visit Britain.

(155650)

733
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department provided to (a) Visit Britain and (b) Visit London in each of the last five years.

(155651)

734
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans there are to improve tourism, parking and traffic facilities at Stonehenge.

(155776)

735
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the British Casino Gambling Association since the Oral Answer from the Prime Minister of 11th July 2007, Official Report, column 1438.

(156016)

736
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans there are to introduce EU regulations for online gambling.

(156017)

737
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria are applied in respect of the minimum age at which people are permitted to gamble using an online company when decisions are made about whether that company may advertise on British television.

(156018)

738
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's plans are for the establishment of super, large and small casinos as laid out in the Gambling Act 2005.

(156019)

739
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the 2008 Concessionary Fare National Scheme on tourism in the UK.

(156021)

740
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the running costs of the Gambling Commission are in 2007-08; and how many staff are employed at the Commission.

(156159)

741
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount of lottery funding which will be received by (a) Sport England, (b) Sport Scotland, (c) Sports Council Wales and (d) Sports Council Northern Ireland in each year from 2008 to 2013.

(155680)

742
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been invested in Sport Action Zones since 2000.

(155903)

743
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much public money was spent via the Community Investment Fund in each year for which figures are available.

(156198)

744
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects to answer Question (a) 148539 on civil servants and (b) 148535 on advertising: gambling, tabled by the hon. Member for Bath on 4th July 2007.

(156248)

745
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10th September, Official Report, column 2145W, on Sport Direct, when the one stop shop is likely to be created; what work has already been undertaken to assess the most effective way of integrating different sources of sports participation information; how many civil servants are involved in the assessment process; how much has been allocated to establishing the one stop shop; and how much of such funding has been spent on development to date.

(156266)

746
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the 10,000 voluntary community sports coaches announced on 24th September are (a) additional to and (b) distinct from the young volunteers trained to work in schools and community clubs and trained adult mentors announced as part of the Game Plan strategy in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

(156279)

747
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, from which areas the 10,000 voluntary community sports coaches, announced on 24th September, will be recruited.

(156280)

748
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects the 10,000 voluntary community sports coaches, announced on 24th September, to (a) be recruited and (b) begin their coaching activities; and what steps his Department plans to take to (i) encourage, (ii) monitor and (iii) audit and account for progress with this initiative.

(156281)

749
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which national governing bodies will be responsible for recruiting the 10,000 voluntary community sports coaches announced on 24th September; how much each such body will receive; how much of the £5 million announced for the initiative will be allocated to (a) Sports Coach UK and (b) Sport England; and when the funding will be made available to each responsible body.

(156282)

750
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) young volunteers trained to work in schools and community clubs and (b) trained adult mentors were recruited (i) before and (ii) since April 2004.

(156435)

751
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many Olympic-standard swimming pools there are in England; and where each is located.

(156443)

752
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many diving pools there are in England; and where each is located.

(156444)

753
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public swimming pools have (a) closed and (b) opened in England since 1997; and how many of the pools that have opened since 1997 re-opened after refurbishment or temporary closure rather than opened for the first time.

(156445)

754
Mr Don Foster (Bath):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications have been received for remote gambling operating licences from companies (a) based in the UK and (b) from outside the UK.

(156523)

755
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the British Museum.

(154675)

756
Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by Arts Council England.

(154681)

757
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Victoria and Albert Museum.

(154417)

758
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the British Film Institute.

(154418)

759
Mr David Gauke (South West Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the British Library.

(154717)

760
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Natural History Museum.

(154733)

761
Mr Paul Goodman (Wycombe):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Science Museum.

(154734)

762
Chris Grayling (Epsom & Ewell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by Royal Parks.

(154658)

763
Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30th July 2007, Official Report, column 1594W, on the National Film Theatre, if he will make a statement about future plans for the library of the British Film Institute.

(156246)

764
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many blind and partially-sighted people are able to use teletext without the assistance of others; whether he estimates this number will change following the digital switchover; and if he will make a statement.

(156191)

765
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department will be making any funds available to blind and partially-sighted persons to purchase new equipment to enable them to use teletext once the analogue signal has been switched off.

(156192)

766
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representation he has received from Portset on digital switchover and assistance for blind people to access teletext services.

(156193)

767
Mr Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the impact of the digital switchover on blind and partially-sighted persons.

(156194)

768
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by UK Sport.

(154155)

769
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Sports Council for Wales.

(154156)

770
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the National Lottery Commission.

(154164)

771
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

(154165)

772
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Historic Royal Palaces.

(154168)

773
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which private consultancy firms (a) his Department and (b) agencies which report to his Department engaged in each of the last three years; which programmes or projects each firm worked on; and what the approximate cost to the Department or agency concerned was of each engagement.

(155879)

774
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's projected spending is on advertising and promotional campaigns for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by cost relating to (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) print media.

(155883)

775
Kate Hoey (Vauxhall):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30th April 2007, Official Report, column 1387W, on the Olympic Games: finance, what the final figures signed off in UK sport's audited 2006-07 year-end accounts were for the amounts spent on the Olympic sports as part of the planned World Class Pathway funding for the Beijing Cycle, broken down by sport.

(154458)

776
N Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of Big Lottery Fund grants went to statutory bodies in each year for which figures are available.

(153314)

777
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether a working group was formed at the international conference on online gambling held at Ascot in October 2006.

(155648)

778
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have had with representatives of the tourism industry in the last six months.

(155756)

779
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom regarding the regulation of commercial radio.

(155757)

780
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects Sir Brian McMaster's review of how the Government supports the arts to be published.

(155758)

781
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role his Department played in the Gambling Commission's 2007 Prevalence Survey on problem gambling.

(155761)

782
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what date his Department first received the Gambling Commission's 2007 Prevalence Survey on problem gambling.

(155762)

783
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which countries (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have met to discuss online gaming; and on what dates these meetings took place.

(155763)

784
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the EU on internet gambling regulations.

(155764)

785
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much each National Lottery distributor spent on public affairs and public relations activities in the last period for which figures are available.

(155765)

786
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people are employed by each of the National Lottery distributors.

(155766)

787
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what research his Department has commissioned into problem gambling in the last five years.

(155767)

788
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Government spent on (a) the arts, (b) sport and (c) heritage in each year since 1997.

(155768)

789
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been allocated to statutory bodies from each National Lottery distributor in each year since 1994.

(155769)

790
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people are employed by the National Lottery Commission.

(155770)

791
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much was distributed to NHS trusts by each of the National Lottery distributors in each of the last five years.

(155771)

792
Mr Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the annual operating costs of each of the National Lottery distributors were in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

(155772)

793
Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many overnight visits (a) he and (b) his predecessor made to Peterborough in each year since 1997.

(154327)

794
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what accounts directions were issued by his Department in financial years (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.

(156620)

795
Mr Oliver Letwin (West Dorset):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will list his Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), (c) advisory NDPBs, (d) tribunal NDPBs, (e) trading funds and (f) public corporations for each financial year since 2005-06.

(156621)

796
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

(154460)

797
Mr Andrew Mackay (Bracknell):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many press officers are employed by Sport England.

(154468)

798
Mr Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what performance standards apply to the BBC with respect to ensuring continuity of service on the digital platform during extreme weather incidents; and what the contractual timeframe requirement is for achieving restoration of service following such weather incidents.

(154191)

799
Mr Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the reliability of the digital signal transmitting both radio and television broadcasts in periods of and following extreme weather conditions; and what plans he has to ensure security of service following digital switchover.

(154192)

800
Mr Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of residences which suffered sustained loss of the BBC digital signal (a) during and (b) in the week following the recent extreme weather conditions; and if he will make a statement.

(154193)

801
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many competition athletics tracks there are in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) England.

(155603)

802
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many primary schools do not have a football team competing in a schools league.

(156636)

803
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of people regularly using indoor climbing walls.

(156637)

804
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of people who regularly take part in mountaineering, including rock climbing and fell walking.

(156638)

805
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of people over the age of 60 involved in regular sports participation.

(156683)

806
John Mann (Bassetlaw):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the top 10 sports are in terms of active participation by the over 60s.

(156684)

807
John Penrose (Weston-Super-Mare):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will introduce legislation to make it a requirement for screen-based electronic games publishers to (a) test their products prior to publication to ensure that they do not cause serious photosensitive epileptic seizure and (b) provide warnings that their products could trigger photosensitive epileptic seizures.

(155995)

808
N Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will consider introducing (a) pre-appointment parliamentary scrutiny and (b) confirmation hearings for future appointments to the BBC Trust.

(156454)

809
Bob Russell (Colchester):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he expects Ofcom to provide the programme making and special events sector with the digital switchover map; and if he will make a statement.

(154080)

810
Mr John Spellar (Warley):To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the BBC on the publication of the Balen Report.