House of Lords

Session 2009 - 10
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House of Lords Business

Cumulative list of unanswered Questions for Written Answer

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No. 1 19 NOVEMBER 2009

Tabled on the dates in bold and due for answer by the dates in brackets.

The Government Department responsible for answering each Question is shown in square brackets.

18 November (2 December)

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DWP] HL1

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in HM Treasury and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [HMT] HL2

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in HM Revenue and Customs and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [HMT] HL3

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Ministry of Defence and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [MoD] HL4

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Home Office and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [HO] HL5

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [MoJ] HL6

Lord Condon to ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics are kept centrally and in local education authorities regarding children with a statement of special education needs. [DfCSF] HL7

Lord Condon to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether central statistics are kept of trends over the last five years regarding children with a statement of special education needs. [DfCSF] HL8

Lord Condon to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether local education authorities have changed their special education needs (SEN) policies since 2006; and, if so, what the impact is on the recorded number of SEN statements since those policy changes. [DfCSF] HL9

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House all correspondence they had with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in the second two weeks of September 2009. [NIO] HL10

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to reduce the number of posts in the Political Directorate of the Northern Ireland Office. [NIO] HL11

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 12 November (WA 225-6) concerning funding from Atlantic Philanthropies, who carried out the research referred to which established background information on the organisation; and whether they will place copies of the research in the Library of the House. [NIO] HL12

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 12 November (WA 234-5) concerning the St Andrews Agreement, what is the outstanding business concerning an Irish Language Act which has to be concluded. [NIO] HL13

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government who sets the Northern Ireland Office’s Departmental Strategies Objective; after what consultations; and how they are monitored. [NIO] HL14

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all claim forms in respect of taxis used by the Northern Ireland Office. [NIO] HL15

Baroness Scott of Needham Market to ask Her Majesty’s Government how long Lord McKenzie of Luton had been in post when he determined the planning applications for the Hartland distribution depot at Pyestock in Farnborough, Hampshire; whether he visited the site prior to determination of the application; and why many elements of the documentation provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the campaign group SPLAT (Stop Pyestock b Lot Act Today) have been redacted. [CLG] HL16

Lord Morris of Manchester to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 5 November (WA 82) regarding the late Gulf War veteran, Mr Terry Walker, whose war pension was cut from 100 per cent to 40 per cent shortly before his death, what was the outcome of the contact made by the Ministry of Defence with the Office of Her Majesty’s Coroner for Newcastle for assistance. [MoD] HL17

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 112), how a researcher could take reasonable steps to contact the person who originally provided cells to a tissue bank if there is no requirement on the part of any tissue bank to use contact information at their disposal for that purpose. [DoH] HL18

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 28 October (WA 151), how people in Scotland are monitored regarding their ongoing consent for specific proposed activities; and what the remit is of the Human Tissue Authority in Scotland (aside from checking living organ donors). [DoH] HL19

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 111) and the ensuing letter from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Chief Executive on 9 November, which were the research licences for which an HFEA research inspection report indicated that 23 embryos were obtained for research after two separate women produced 44 eggs and 29 eggs respectively; and whether that was unconventional; and, if not, at what frequency similar numbers of embryos were obtained for research from individuals following superovulation at each respective licensed centre. [DoH] HL20

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 12 November (WA 207-8), why Medical Research Council (MRC) funding was not awarded to undertake research involving admixed embryos in accordance with the remarks by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 October 2008 (HL Deb, col 1615); why MRC funding was instead provided for somatic cell nuclear transfer where “scarce human eggs would be used over animal eggs”; and whether the MRC agrees with Professor Shaw’s testimony regarding use of animal eggs that there “is no biological reason why it should not work” (HC 272-II, Session 2008-09, Q49). [BIS] HL21

Lord Alton of Liverpool to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 12 November (WA 207-8), how the Medical Research Council (MRC) will “sustain the careers of the future research leaders”, as described in its strategic plan for 2009-14, when it has declined funding for an investigator whose example had been highlighted by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health; and how the departure of a prominent scientist from academia would continue the “tradition of supporting the United Kingdom’s most talented individuals at critical stages of their research careers”. [BIS] HL22

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 6 November (WA 101), whether they accept that port estate owners have limited ability to positively influence erratic electricity usage of port tenants in absolute terms for (a) flour mills, (b) cement batching plants, (c) pipe coating companies, and (d) other high electricity users. [DECC] HL23

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 6 November (WA 101), why they have offered no advice on the reputational liability caused by erratic tenant electricity use which may alter carbon reduction commitment league table positions; and whether they will do so. [DECC] HL24

Lord Berkeley to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 6 November (WA 101), whether they will delay or amend the carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme until the United Kingdom port operators’ comments on the scheme are addressed. [DECC] HL25

Baroness Greengross to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that patients with dementia do not stay in hospital longer than is warranted by the condition that led to their admission. [DoH] HL26

Lord Higgins to ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers the European Union has to prevent the origin of horsemeat for human consumption being labelled as from the country where it is sold, rather than the country from which the horse was recently imported live. [DoH] HL27

Lord Higgins to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the negotiations in the European Union on banning the export of live horses for slaughter. [DEFRA] HL28

Lord Higgins to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they make forecasts of the level of unemployment. [DWP] HL29

Lord Higgins to ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the value of gilt-edged securities insured by them in each of the last six months; and what was the value of such securities purchased by the Bank of England in each of the last six months. [HMT] HL30

Lord Higgins to ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the figures for the narrow and broad money supplies, and the percentage change in them, for each of the last six months for which figures are available. [HMT] HL31

Lord Newby to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DfCSF] HL32

Lord Newby to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [BIS] HL33

Lord Newby to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in Communities and Local Government and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [CLG] HL34

Lord Newby to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DCMS] HL35

Lord Newby to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DEFRA] HL36

Lord Newby to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department of Health and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DoH] HL37

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent opinion poll in Cyprus showing that 60 per cent of Greek Cypriots and 77.9 per cent of Turkish Cypriots favour a two-state solution for Cyprus; and whether the results of that opinion poll will alter the United Kingdom’s stance towards the unification of Cyprus. [FCO] HL38

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment, as one of the three guarantor powers, they have made of the 45-year functioning or lack of functioning of the constitution agreed between the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots in 1960, and of the ongoing process of seeking to impose unification upon the island. [FCO] HL39

Baroness Garden of Frognal to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people each regional Government office employs; and how many people work on (a) education, (b) employment, and (c) skills issues. [CLG] HL40

Baroness Garden of Frognal to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people each regional development agency employs; and how many people work on (a) education, (b) employment, and (c) skills issues. [BIS] HL41

Baroness Garden of Frognal to ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they have provided to (a) the Institute for Learning, (b) the United Kingdom Commission for Employment and Skills, (c) Foundation Degree Forward, (d) the National Institute for Adult and Continuing Education, (e) the 157 Group, and (f) BECTA, in each of the last four years for which figures are available. [BIS] HL42

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for International Development and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DfID] HL43

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [FCO] HL44

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Cabinet Office and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [CO] HL45

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Attorney General’s Office and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [AGO] HL46

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DECC] HL47

Baroness Northover to ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Transport and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [DfT] HL48

19 November (3 December)

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to mark 2010 as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. HL49

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of child malnutrition in the United Kingdom. HL50

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope to ask Her Majesty’s Government what scientific research they have commissioned to support the United Kingdom delegation to the Copenhagen climate change conference; and when they will publish the research. HL51

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope to ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will deploy a fully functional money advice service across the United Kingdom, including a face-to-face option for individuals who request it. HL52

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for an information campaign to discourage employees from opting out of the personal accounts occupational pensions scheme to be introduced in 2012. HL53

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to use spare television spectrum to improve access to broadband facilities in rural areas. HL54

Lord Lea of Crondall to ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of carbon tax and price per ton of carbon would enable the European Union to raise €50 billion of new money by 2020 were the whole sum to be raised exclusively by that method. HL55

Lord Lea of Crondall to ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the population are believed by the Chief Medical Officer to be covered by dental practices registered with NHS trusts as taking NHS patients; and what percentage of that group are in practice told that they can only be taken on privately. HL56

Lord Hamilton of Epsom to ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for transferring the cost of the Afghan conflict from the Treasury Contingency Reserve to the Ministry of Defence budget. HL57

Lord Jopling to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether monitoring takes place of unsterilised botulinum toxins offered for sale from overseas on the internet. HL58

Lord Jopling to ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring takes place to ensure that imports of unsterilised botulinum toxins are sterilised for cosmetic or other uses. HL59

Lord Jopling to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 5 October (WA 440), what steps they are taking to ensure that imports into the United Kingdom of unsterilised botulinum toxins do not give rise to outbreaks of botulism. HL60

Lord Selsdon to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the difference between a quango and a non-departmental public body. HL61

Lord Selsdon to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the budget for expenditure on non-departmental public bodies for 2009-10. HL63

Lord Selsdon to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Crawley on 12 November (HL Deb, col 899), which members of the House of Lords were appointees to non-departmental public bodies on 18 November; and what were their appointments and levels of individual remuneration. HL64

Lord Clement-Jones to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will introduce regulations to reform planning legislation to enable control over partial demolition and development in conservation areas. HL65

Lord Clement-Jones to ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to reform planning regulations to take account of concerns about the level of heritage protection in conservation areas caused by the 1991 South Lakeland and 1997 Shimizu judgments. HL66

Lord Clement-Jones to ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will proceed with reform of permitted development rights in conservation areas resulting from feedback on the White Paper, Heritage Protection for the 21st Century. HL67

Lord Clement-Jones to ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the statement of their vision and priorities for the historic environment, due to be issued by summer 2009. HL68

Lord Clement-Jones to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a draft heritage protection bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. HL69

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were made redundant by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the associated costs were in each year. HL70

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average age of retirement in the senior civil service. HL71

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest calculation of the financial effect by income decile of making the personal allowance transferable between married couples and those in civil partnerships for each of the next five years. HL72

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial effect by income decile had council tax been frozen for the last two years. HL73

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government by how much the working tax credit for couples with children would have to increase to remove any couple penalty in tax credits; what would be the cost of that measure; and what would be the distributional impact by income decile of it. HL74

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay to ask Her Majesty’s Government what would be the effect on public finances of charging all individuals who indicate they are non-domiciled for tax purposes a flat fee of £25,000 per annum instead of their measures for such people. HL75

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government how Mr Ellis Sherwood was able to obtain heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine whilst in prison. HL76

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government why there is within the Government Equalities Office a Minister for Women and Equalities; and whether they propose to introduce a Minister for Men and Equalities. HL77

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bach on 12 November (WA 209) and by Lord West of Spithead on 12 November (WA 229-30), how they define “extremism”. HL78

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Brett on 4 November (WA 61) concerning the administration of justice in Kenya, what assessment they have made of whether Kenya is an appropriate jurisdiction for the trial of pirates captured by the Royal Navy. HL79

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make regular reports on the progress of prosecutions in Kenya of pirates transferred there from United Kingdom jurisdiction for trial. HL80

Lord Tebbit to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons have been arrested by the Royal Navy on suspicion of piracy; how many have been released; and how many transferred to Kenyan jurisdiction for trial. HL81

Lord Dykes to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many combustion power stations in the United Kingdom will be fitted with carbon capture technology by 2020. HL82

Lord Dykes to ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking with the international community to reduce carbon emissions from methane in Arctic permafrost thaws. HL83

Lord Dykes to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest figure for carbon dioxide emissions in metric tonnes per capita in the United Kingdom. HL84

Lord Dykes to ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made since the guidelines in February covering intraocular lens insertions for correcting refractive error and double vision. HL85

Lord Dykes to ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they will give to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence about the report that 40 per cent of medicines routinely prescribed for long-term conditions are not being used as the prescription requires. HL86

Lord Dykes to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will hold discussions with the Financial Services Authority to ensure that managers in the financial sector receive salary deductions if their performances produce losses. HL87

Lord Wilson of Tillyorn to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Lloyds Banking Group have explained to them why, after seeking to reduce by half payments made under covenant to the Lloyds TSB Foundations, they rejected the counter proposal from Lloyds TSB Foundation Scotland which would ensure that funds continue to be distributed to charities in Scotland. HL88

Lord Lester of Herne Hill to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the ethnic and religious composition of those serving prison sentences; and what it was ten years ago. HL89

Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 9 November (WA 112), whether they will ensure that, following the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the establishment of the European External Action Service, there will be no diminution or dilution of the United Kingdom Diplomatic Service, and that it maintains its independence of action to promote the interests of the United Kingdom. HL90

Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the presentation made to the French National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee by the French Europe Minister on 10 November, in which he stressed the need for French and German unity to drive the European External Action Service forward. HL91

Lord Stoddart of Swindon to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the penalty for cycling on pavements; when it was set; and what it would be if it had kept pace with the cost of living index and penalties for offences of similar gravity since its introduction. HL92

Lord Judd to ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to ensure that future assessments of research in universities are based on the work of schools, departments and faculties as a whole, and not only on an aggregate of research by some staff directly or indirectly related to those schools, departments or faculties. HL93

Earl Cathcart to ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the latest year for which figures are available, how many farmers in receipt of the Single Farm Payment claimed for (a) less than five hectares, (b) between five and 10 hectares, (c) between 10 and 20 hectares, (d) between 20 and 100 hectares, and (e) over 100 hectares. HL95

Lord Bradshaw to ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements there are for senior civil servants to gain experience of the industries they supervise; and how many civil servants have benefited from such experience for periods exceeding three months. HL96

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale to ask Her Majesty’s Government how many companies have invested in plants compliant with the European Union waste incineration directive for the burning of recovered fuel oil. HL97

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale to ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the environmental impact of burning (a) natural gas, and (b) recovered fuel oil in plants compliant with the European Union waste incineration directive. HL98

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale to ask Her Majesty’s Government how often members of the public can send fictional or educational books to convicted prisoners. HL99

Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 10 November (WA 141), whether acupuncturists, herbal medicinalists and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners will be able to continue to practise after April 2011 as they do at present, in the absence of statutory regulation and any resulting loss of the supply of third party products. HL100

Lord Pearson of Rannoch to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 12 November (WA 220), whether the Minister’s officials have come to a conclusion as to whether changes to the UK Border Agency’s Entry Clearance Guidance are required in order to prevent polygamous or bigamous marriages under United Kingdom law; and, if so, whether they will implement that conclusion. HL101

Lord Marlesford to ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the prison population are serving sentences for drug offences. HL102

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 9 November (WA 118), whether, under section 69 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s remit includes securing legislative implementation of its advice on a bill of rights for Northern Ireland; whether it is permitted to expend its own funds and staff time doing so; and whether that is consistent with its other statutory functions. HL103

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 9 November (WA 117), whether a background was assigned using Equality Commission methods for the two commissioners who declared that they do not have a Protestant or Catholic community background. HL104

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 6 November (WA 97-8), what is the cost to the taxpayer of not applying deflation to benefits and pensions in 2010-11; and whether if deflation continues they will review relevant legislation that does not permit such reductions. HL105

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 6 November (WA 97-8), from where the £1 billion provided for benefits and pensions from the 2.5 per cent increase in the basic state pension comes. HL106

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government when Infonexus College London was accredited as a college of education; by which UK Border Agency accreditation agency; how many overseas students in the last three years have been granted visas to study there; from which countries; and what courses it offers that would not be available to those students in their home countries. HL107

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether rate increases will be applied to public sector pensions in 2010-11; what is the estimated cost of public sector pension schemes not taking account of deflation of 1.4 per cent in the September retail prices index; and whether any public sector pension scheme’s rate changes are governed by the September retail prices index figure. HL108

Lord Taylor of Holbeach to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, if the tax regime applicable to furnished holiday accommodation is repealed, those who offer such accommodation on their property can use the room rental allowances as per those who run a bed-and-breakfast business in their own homes. HL109

Lord Taylor of Holbeach to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they met the target for September 2007 set by the Environment Noise (England) Regulations 2006; and, if not, whether the target was met after September 2007 or not at all. HL110

Lord Taylor of Holbeach to ask Her Majesty’s Government how the criteria for determining action plans under the Environmental Noise (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 will be assembled, discussed, implemented and reviewed; by whom; and at what intervals. HL111

Lord Taylor of Holbeach to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 28 October (WA 168-70), whether they will require those researching the extent of any problems of using electric cars on the highway to examine the effect on road users who are required to travel in the direction of traffic. HL112

Lord Taylor of Holbeach to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 28 October (WA 161-62), why the main reason for the increase in British Waterways’ pension costs in 2008-09 was the increase in the interest cost. HL113

Lord Taylor of Holbeach to ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 28 October (WA 158-59), whether Natural England has the power to amend the boundaries of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); if so, how many such boundary changes have it or its predecessors made in the last ten years; whether any such boundary changes resulted in an upgrade of the status of the SSSI involved; and, if so, how many such upgrades have occurred. HL114


© Parliamentary copyright 2009	Prepared: 20 November 2009

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Cumulative list of unanswered Questions for Written Answer