---

Contracting Out

Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when his Department will consult (a) the Lord Chief Justice, (b) the Vice-Chancellor, (c) the Master of the Rolls, (d) the president of the family division, and (e) other members of the senior judiciary under schedule 16 to the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 on his proposals to contract out court functions, and what considerations underlay his decision not to consult them before tenders were invited. [5048]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: Neither the local office county court system project nor the probate records centre project is at the stage where it becomes possible to have formal consultation under the terms of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994.

Court Listing

Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment his Department has made of the constitutional implications of transferring the management of court listing to the private sector. [4866]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: There are no plans to transfer the management of court listing to the private sector.

Departmental Payments

Mr. Betts: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of bills to his Department were paid in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice in the last year for which figures are available. [5701]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Department's general conditions of contract contain a clause informing suppliers that we shall make payment within agreed terms, or within 30 days of receipt of an invoice, where no such terms exist. The conditions also give advice on how to complain if the Department fails to make payment on time. Annual surveys of invoice payments are carried out, the latest of which showed that 93.8 per cent. of invoices were paid on time. The survey results, together with details of the Department's payment policies, are published in the annual report.

Mental Incapacity Report

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Government's response to the Law Commission's report on mental incapacity will be published. [6115]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Government set up an interdepartmental working group, chaired by the Lord Chancellor's Department, to consider the Law Commission's report on mental incapacity. The group was asked to produce an initial report for consideration by Ministers by 1 September 1995 and has met this timetable. Ministers are now considering the report of the working

14 Dec 1995 : Column: 729

group, together with that of the Law Commission. The Government will make an announcement of their initial view on the Law Commission's report once Ministers have had the opportunity to consider the implications of the proposals.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Departmental Payments

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of bills to his Department were paid in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice in the last year for which figures are available. [5702]

Mr. Howard: The latest available figure is 92 per cent. as published in the Home Office annual report 1995.

Ministerial Meetings (Immigration)

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings the hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Kirkhope) has had, to date, with right hon. and hon. Members since he was appointed a Minister in the Home Office to discuss immigration, asylum and nationality matters; how many requests for such meetings he has refused; and how many such meetings are pending. [6036]

Mr. Kirkhope: Since my appointment on 17 October 1995, I have had 13 meetings with right hon. and hon. Members on immigration, asylum and nationality cases. Two are pending. In addition, I have had numerous other discussions with hon. Members on individual cases. Information on the number of requests for meetings that I have refused is not readily available.

Charities (Police and Probation Services)

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reimbursement measures exist for charitable organisations in return for the work they carry out on behalf of statutory bodies with special reference to the police and probation services. [6042]

Mr. Sackville: It is for each police authority and the chief officer of police to determine whether, and how to, reimburse organisations which carry out work for the force. Under rule 41(a) of the Probation (Amendment) Rules 1994, probation services may make payments to voluntary organisations for the provision of a range of services. It is for chief probation officers to decide which organisations should be aided, having regard to local needs and priorities.

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the arrangements for notifying the Benefits Agency if a country has undergone, or is undergoing, events likely to give rise to a well-founded form of persecution among its nationals are now in operation. [5938]

14 Dec 1995 : Column: 730

Miss Widdecombe: The arrangements will come into operation when the regulations about which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security is consulting have come into force. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department envisages that he will notify the Benefits Agency if a country undergoes a fundamental change of circumstances such that people are not normally being returned to that country for the time being.

Remand Prisoners

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is currently the average time a remand prisoner spends in custody while awaiting trial (a) in Durham and (b) in the United Kingdom. [5127]

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter for England and Wales has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given. Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibilities of the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland respectively.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 14 December 1995:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking, what is the average time a prisoner spends in custody whilst awaiting trial (a) in Durham and (b) in the United Kingdom.
Information on the average time spent in custody for untried prisoners awaiting trial in Durham is not available. The available information on the estimated average time spent in custody for untried prisoners in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales in 1994 was given in a written reply to a Question from Mr. Jim Cunningham MP (Coventry South East) on 5 December (Col.210).

Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimate of the additional annual costs incurred as a result of prisoners being held on remand beyond the statutory time limit. [1701]

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Richard Tilt to Ms Janet Anderson, dated 14 December 1995:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking for the estimate of the additional annual costs incurred as a result of prisoners being held on remand beyond the statutory time limit.
The available information relates to Prison Service costs for additional time served by prisoners awaiting Crown Court trial beyond the statutory time limit. About seventy five per cent of such prisoners receive a custodial sentence so that no net additional period in prison occurs. Overall, the additional annual cost incurred by the Prison Service is approximately £5 million in the current year.
A reliable estimate of the cost of holding prisoners on magistrates' court remand in excess of the custody time limit is not available.

Visitors

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 28 November, Official Report, column 667, if he will

14 Dec 1995 : Column: 731

make it his policy to record the dates on which visitors to the United Kingdom leave the country. [3791]

Mr. Kirkhope: No. A comprehensive system which matches arrival and embarkation records would not be a cost-effective way to operate immigration control. A more targeted approach in co-operation with the police and other agencies has proved to be a more successful way to detect and deal with people here unlawfully.

Asylum and Immigration Bill

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with (a) employers' organisations, (b) the civil service, (c) local government and (d) the health service on the costs of the implementation of the Asylum and Immigration Bill and the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Amendment Regulations; and if he will make a statement. [6011]

Miss Widdecombe: The proposals in the Bill for preventing illegal employment were discussed with other Government Departments. A consultation document, including a compliance cost assessment, has been sent to employers' organisations, local government bodies, the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts and other interested organisations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security has consulted widely about the proposed benefit changes through the Social Security Advisory Committee and with the local authorities' associations. My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration has had discussions with the Association of London Government.

---