House of Commons Hansard Debates for 15 Feb 1994

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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 15 February 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Public Appointments

Dr. Wright : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those responsible for making appointments of (a) chairs and (b) members of the boards to each of the executive non- departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department.

Mr. John M. Taylor : There are two executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Lord Chancellor's Department : the Legal Aid Board and the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board. The Lord Chancellor makes the appointments of both the chair and members of each of them.

Public Bodies

Dr. Wright : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, for each of the non-departmental bodies sponsored by his Department, whether the public has a statutory right to attend all board or committee meetings and to inspect (a) minutes of meetings, (b) the annual reports and (c) the annual accounts.

Mr. John M. Taylor : There is no statutory right to attend the board or committee meetings, or to inspect the minutes, of any of the Lord Chancellor's Department's non-departmental public bodies. However, as far as the tribunals are concerned, it is open to the public to attend the hearings.

The following bodies are required by statute to produce annual reports which are laid before Parliament :

Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct

Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board

Legal Aid Board

Council on Tribunals

Legal Aid Advisory Committee

Legal Aid Advisory Committee (NI)

Transport Tribunal

Law Commission

The first four of these bodies include their accounts in their reports ; the others do not produce accounts. In addition : --the annual report of the Advisory Council on Public Records is included in the annual report of the Keeper of Public Records which is required by statute to be laid before Parliament ; and --the Judicial Studies Board produces periodic reports which are published by HMSO, but no accounts.

The remaining bodies produce neither reports nor accounts.

Dr. Wright : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish a table showing, in 1992-93 prices, the gross public spending for each year since 1990-91 and the projected expenditure for each year to 1995-96 for each executive non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department, as listed in "Public Bodies 1993".

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Mr. John M. Taylor : My Department has two executive

non-departmental public bodies : the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board and the Legal Aid Board.


Authorised Conveyancing       

Practitioners Board           

          |£ million          

------------------------------

1990-91   |0.290              

1991-92   |0.349              

1992-93   |0.231              

The figure for 1990-91 was    

the cost of setting up the    

board, which has been         

inactive since March 1992.    

The costs in 1992-93 relate   

to on-going costs and the     

scaling down of its           

operations. No provision was  

made for its financing after  

31 March 1993.


Legal Aid Board               

Gross public expenditure      

          |£ million          

------------------------------

1990-91   |634                

1991-92   |886                

1992-93   |1,117              

1993-94   |<1>1,328           

1994-95   |<1>1,592           

1995-96   |<1>1,808           

<1> estimated outturn.

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board.

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 3 February 1994] : The membership of the Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board at 31 January 1994 is as follows :

Members

Alan Brakefield Esq

Ms Tamara Goriely

Alan Mills Esq

Ms Katharine Mortimer

Mrs. June P. O'Dell OBE

There is currently a vacancy for the post of chairman.

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Advisory Council on Public Records.

Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 3 February 1994] : The membership of the Advisory Council on Public Records as at 31 January 1994 is as follows :

Chairman

Sir Thomas Bingham, the right honourable Master of the Rolls Members

Professor Bernard Alford

Sir John Blelloch

Dr. Alan Borg

Mrs. Lynne J. Brindley

Alexander Charles Carlile Esq. MP

Professor Richard Chapman

Terence Anthony Gordon Davis Esq. MP

Professor Richard Barrie Dobson

Miss Andrea Duncan

Victor Gray Esq

Mrs. Lynette Lithgow

Professor Shula Marks

David Sumberg Esq. MP

David Vaisey Esq. FSA

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Legal Aid Board.

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Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 3 February 1994] : The present members of the Legal Aid Board are John Pitts, chairman, Martin Acland, Diana Beale, Valerie Boakes, Fred Collins, Peter Jones, Kate Markus, Steve Orchard, Penelope Pearce, George Pulman QC, David Sinker, John Smith and Andrew Thomas.

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the General Commissioners of Income Tax.

Mr. John Taylor [holding answer 3 February 1994] : This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The latest figures available show that there are 3,948 general commissioners in England and Wales. If the hon. Member wishes me to give the names of general commissioners on particular divisions I shall be pleased to do so.

Stubbings v. Webb

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will now consider amending section 11 of the Limitation Act 1980, in light of the House of Lords decision in the case of Stubbings v. Webb ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John M. Taylor : The matter is presently under consideration.

Financial Services Tribunal

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who are the members currently appointed to the Financial Services Tribunal.

Mr. Nelson : I have been asked to reply.

Current appointments to the panel of the Financial Services Tribunal :

Chairmen

Mr. J. M. Bowers

Mr. D. Campbell

Mr. P. E. Heim

Mr. E. C. Woods

Mr. A. Gordon

Mr. J. E. Drummond Young

Members

Mr. K. A. Blundell

Mr. W. M. Carson

Mr. P. G. Green

Mr. G. C. Grover

Mr. J. L. Kirkpatrick

Mr. A. F. Lamb

Mr. H. G. Littlefair

Sir James McKinnon

Mr. A. W. Mallinson

Mr. W. O'Farrell

Mr. J. B. Page

Mr. R. C. Ritchie

Mr. R. P. Wilkinson

Mr. G. Willetts

Mr. P. D. Williams

Mr. H. Woods

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Batons

Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when all police areas will have access to expandable batons.

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Mr. Charles Wardle : Chief officers may equip their officers with any of the expandable batons currently undergoing trials, although the approval of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State is required in the case of the Metropolitan police.

Fraud Sentences

Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the result of the review to determine whether unduly lenient sentences in cases of serious and complex fraud should be referrable to the Court of Appeal.

Mr. Maclean : I hope shortly to make an announcement about the scope of the Attorney-General's power to refer lenient sentences to the Court of Appeal.

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what considerations he takes into account when deciding whether an asylum seeker should be detained ;

(2) what is his policy on keeping asylum seekers in detention where relatives are prepared to offer sureties.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The policy is to use the powers of detention under the Immigration Act 1971 only where there is no alternative and where there are good grounds for believing that the person concerned will not comply with any conditions attached to his release. All relevant factors are taken into account, including the person's previous immigration history, the existence of any connections with the United Kingdom, the likelihood and time scale of removal and any compassionate circumstances, including the person's medical condition.

Any application to an immigration officer to grant release on bail in accordance with paragraph 29 of schedule 2 of the 1971 Act is considered on its merits taking into account all relevant factors, including the willingness of relatives to offer sureties. A similar approach is taken in deciding whether or not to oppose an application for bail to the independent immigration appellate authorities or to the courts.

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost in the last year available for keeping asylum seekers in detention.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The available information does not identify separately those detention costs which relate to asylum seekers.

Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are currently detained in prisons (a) in the west midlands and (b) nationally.

Mr. Charles Wardle : On 10 February, 46 men who had claimed asylum at some stage were detained in the west midlands area, all at Birmingham prison. The number detained in prisons nationally was 278.

Ethnic Minorities

Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects to announce section 11 funding for the current financial year for the London borough of Wandsworth ;

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(2) what has been the total financial funding under section 11 that has been made to the London borough of Wandsworth in the current financial year.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : Section 11 grant is currently paid on the basis of an authority's actual expenditure. Grant payable in relation to expenditure by the London borough of Wandsworth in the first two quarters of the current financial year amounted to £921,859.

Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of teachers employed in schools in the Tooting constituency of the London borough of Wandsworth whose salaries are paid in full or part from section 11 funding ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : Some 48.6 full-time equivalent teaching posts approved for funding under section 11 are currently allocated to schools identified as being in the Tooting constituency. This figure does not include posts in central teams which provide a service to schools throughout the borough, but does include posts in grant-maintained schools which have opted out of local authority projects.

Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on section 11 funding for schools within the Greater London area for the coming financial year ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education was consulted about national changes to the levels and the methodology of the grant.

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