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European Court of Justice

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his Department's policy to obey European Court judgments. [456]

Mr. Soames: The United Kingdom courts would give effect to the judgments of the European Court of Justice or the court of first instance as necessary and my Department would, of course, obey them.

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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Employment Disputes

Mr. Butler: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for taking forward the proposals contained in the Green Paper "Resolving Employment Rights Disputes: Options for Reform" [1275]

Mr. Lang: A large number of responses to the Green Paper was received and the Government have given careful consideration to all views submitted. Most of the Green Paper proposals were widely supported and accordingly the Government have decided to implement them.

The Government continue to believe that employment disputes should, where possible, be resolved in-house through employers' own procedures. However, they recognise the reservations expressed by many responding to the Green Paper that the proposal to require employees to attempt to resolve disputes with their employers before being able to make an application to an industrial tribunal might lead to increased delays and complexity in tribunal procedures, rather than alleviating them. The Government have decided not to take forward this proposal.

The Government also recognise the concerns voiced about the proposals to require chairmen to sit alone, without lay members, in certain cases and have decided not to introduce any such statutory requirement. However, the Government are minded to extend the existing discretion for chairmen to sit alone where they consider this appropriate for certain technical cases, such as the determination of entitlement to redundancy payments.

The Government believe that the remaining proposals will, when implemented, make a significant contribution to easing the burdens facing the industrial tribunals. Some of the proposals will be modified in the light of responses to the Green Paper, and where necessary further informal consultation will be carried out with interested parties. Detailed proposals will be brought forward when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has undertaken a separate review and is considering the implications of the responses for that jurisdiction.

Patents (Genetic Research)

Ms Lynne: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to the establishment of limits to the patentability of life; what plans he has to exclude human, animal and plant tissue from patentability; and if he will make a statement. [621]

Mr. Ian Taylor: Patents are granted only for inventions which meet the statutory requirements of novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability. A patent would not be granted for any invention, the publication or exploitation of which would generally be expected to encourage offensive, immoral or anti-social behaviour. Apart from the exclusion of plant and animal varieties from patentability, inventions involving human, animal or plant material have to satisfy the same criteria as other inventions. The Government agree with the view of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee in its recent report on human genetics that

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there is a role for patenting in the application of the results of genetic research. We have no plans to change the law in this respect.

Ministerial Travel, London

Mr. MacShane: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many times in the last year he has used the London underground while on official business; [361]

Mr. Lang: None.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Acts of Parliament

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the Acts of Parliament and consolidation Acts that affect local government that have been introduced by his Department since January 1994. [26]

Mr. Freeman: No Acts of Parliament or consolidated Acts that affect local government have been introduced by my Department since January 1994.

TREASURY

Correspondence

Mr. Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 25 September ref. 0595/43 concerning a constituent. [219]

Mr. Jack: I am considering the hon. Member's letter and hope to reply soon.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Courts (Congestion)

33. Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures he proposes to alleviate congestion in the courts. [519]

Mr. John M. Taylor: Court sittings in the Crown and county courts are being maintained at a level above that required to deal with incoming work. For example the Crown Court plans to sit 90,000 days this year, the highest on record. As a result, the number of outstanding cases is the lowest in over five years.

Legal Aid

34. Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received about the grant of legal aid to the seemingly wealthy. [520]

Mr. John M. Taylor: There were 50 responses to the consultation exercise held earlier this year on the grants of legal aid to the apparently wealthy. Since that time there have been 14 inquiries on this issue from Members of Parliament or the public.

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35. Mr. Flynn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what new proposals he has to improve the legal aid system. [521]

Mr. Taylor: The Lord Chancellor published a Green Paper on the future of legal aid in May. Over 180 responses have been received. These are being analysed. A series of meetings are being arranged with some of the major respondents to allow them to expand on their views. The Lord Chancellor intends to make an announcement on the outcome of the consultation process in the new year.

36. Mr. Steen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement as to the level of the legal aid budget in each of the last three years. [522]

Mr. Taylor: Net expenditure on legal aid in each of the last three years was as follows, £1.1 billion, £1.2 billion and £1.3 billion. This represents an increase in expenditure of 19 per cent. over the three-year period.

During the same period the number of people helped rose from 3.3 million to 3.5 million, an increase of 6 per cent.

Civil Justice Review

37. Mr. Hawkins : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what improvements are planned following the civil justice review. [523]

Mr. John M. Taylor: The Lord Chancellor has welcomed the improvements recommended in Lord Woolf's review of civil justice and implementation of some has already begun. He recently announced his decision to increase the small claims arbitration limit from £1,000 to £3,000.

Trials (Press Coverage)

Mr. Soley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consideration he has given to press coverage of trials. [512]

Mr. John M. Taylor: The administration of justice should, so far as possible, be public. Subject to certain statutory safeguards, including the law relating to contempt of court, the coverage of trials is a matter for the press itself.

House Conveyances

Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many house conveyances were registered by the Land Registry offices in each of the past five years. [518]

Mr. John M. Taylor: Statistics relating to house conveyances are not separately maintained by the Land Registry. During the five years in question, transfers of all property, including house conveyances, registered by the Land Registry have remained consistent within the range of 1.4 to 1.6 million. Currently, approximately 88 per cent. of transfers relate to residential property.

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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Pledging Conference

Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what pledges the Government re-affirmed on spending for least developed countries at the UN's intergovernmental meeting; and if he will make a statement. [220]

Mr. Hanley: The UN pledging conference for operational activities for development took place in New York on 1 and 2 November. In common with many other donor countries, the United Kingdom made no pledges.

Aid Statistics

Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of GNP the United Kingdom has spent in aid to the least developed countries in the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will list the countries. [223]

Mr. Hanley: The information requested is as follows:


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