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Legal Aid
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consideration the Lord Chancellor has given to removing responsibility for the grant of criminal legal aid from the magistrates courts. [13087]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: This question highlights a difficult problem to which the Lord Chancellor has accorded high priority for a considerable time.
The Legal Aid Act 1988 vests in the magistrates courts the function of deciding on the grant or refusal of legal aid in criminal cases. In the performance of their functions the courts act independently of any Government Department.
In December 1993 my predecessor explained to the House that the Comptroller and Auditor General had repeatedly qualified his opinion on the Department's appropriation account because of material uncertainty as to whether the regulations governing the grant of criminal legal aid were being applied with sufficient rigour. He affirmed to the House that in no circumstances could any irregularity in dispensing public money be acceptable, and he recounted the measures that had been taken to rectify matters.
Among them was an examination of the feasibility of transferring the function to the Legal Aid Board. My predecessor explained to the House his reasons for declining to take that step at that time, and he undertook to give further consideration to that and alternative measures if other continuing action failed to achieve an acceptable result.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has again qualified his opinion of the 1994-95 appropriation account. During the last two years a number of statutory and administrative changes have been made, with the help and co-operation of the Legal Aid Board and the Justices' Clerks Society. The results have been closely audited both by my Department and by the National Audit Office. I am pleased to report that significant improvements in the levels of compliance with the regulations have recently become apparent. The improvement is marked enough to give reason to think that satisfactorily high levels of compliance could be achieved under the present arrangements, although further marked improvements are needed to achieve that result.
The Lord Chancellor has now proposed more fundamental reforms of the legal aid scheme as a whole, as described last year in the Green Paper "Legal Aid--Targeting Need". In these circumstances I do not propose any earlier change in the arrangements for the grant of criminal legal aid in the magistrates courts, so long as the improvement in compliance with the regulations is maintained. I will announce our intentions regarding the wider reforms when our consideration of the public responses to the Green Paper has been completed.
30 Jan 1996 : Column: 643
16. Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the level of the noxious emissions from internal combustion engines in 1995 in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [10383]
Mr. Clappison:
Actual emissions for 1995 are not yet available but a forecast for 1995 based on national road traffic forecasts and the emissions performance of both old and new vehicles has been made. On this basis, we predict that total emissions from road vehicles will fall this year and again next year.
17. Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to preserve village shops in rural areas. [10384]
Mr. Gummer:
The Government's plans for preserving village shops and post offices in rural England are set out in the recently published White Paper "Rural England--A Nation Committed to a Living Countryside".
18. Mr. Duncan Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about his plans to extend compulsory competitive tendering to housing management. [10385]
Mr. Curry:
The implementation timetable for housing management CCT provides the work to be phased in. The timetable provides for contracts to be awarded between 1 April 1995 and 1 April 1998, depending upon the size of the authority and its state of preparedness for CCT. Authorities reorganised as a result of the review of local government are allowed an additional 18 months.
19. Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households have been assisted through the Government's home energy efficiency scheme during the last year; and what estimates he has been given by neighbourhood energy action for 1996-97 following the budget cut of £31 million. [10387]
Mr. Robert B. Jones:
The estimated number of grants for 1995-96 is 600,000. NEA, formerly known as Neighbourhood Energy Action, has suggested that 400,000 grants will be paid next year, but it has not stated its assumptions. We have announced changes in the grant level which will reduce the average grant per installation, while fully protecting low-income households. The provision for next year therefore provides scope for considerably more than 400,000 grants.
22. Mr. McKelvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many households have benefited from home energy efficiency scheme payments over the past two financial years; and what payment he estimates will be made in the current financial year. [10390]
30 Jan 1996 : Column: 644
Mr. Jones:
A total of 270,148 grants were paid under the home energy efficiency scheme in 1993-94, and 449,902 in 1994-95. In the present financial year, I estimate that £98 million will be paid out in grants to around 600,000 households.
20. Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has had from local authorities regarding the role of the district auditor service. [10388]
Mr. Curry:
I have had no such representations, although local authorities do raise audit matters with the Government from time to time.
21. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will increase the number of council tax bands. [10389]
Mr. Curry:
I have no plans to do so.
24. Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date he approved the award of housing management contracts to the city of Birmingham housing department. [10391]
Mr. Clappison:
The Secretary of State gave his consent to the city of Birmingham carrying out eight housing maintenance contracts on--18 October 1994 four contracts and on 20 November 1995 four contracts--as provided in a direction given to the council under section 19B of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980.
26. Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on current regeneration policies. [10394]
Mr. Curry:
Our regeneration policies will focus on the single regeneration budget and this will continue to be distributed on a competitive basis.
27. Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what savings have been delivered by compulsory competitive tendering in the year 1994-95. [10395]
Sir Paul Beresford:
This information is not available on a yearly basis. On the basis of research by Birmingham university, it is estimated that average annual savings of 6.5 per cent. have been achieved on services so far subject to CCT.
28. Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for a public consultation on the findings of the review into the area cost adjustment. [10396]
30 Jan 1996 : Column: 645
Mr. Curry:
We have asked the review team to produce a report by June this year with recommendations for determining the area cost adjustment of the standard spending assessment in a way which is conceptually sound, commands the widest possible acceptance among local authorities in all parts of the country and is practical to apply.
The report, which we are proposing should be available publicly, will be produced only after the review team has considered the representations and comments made to it by local government and other interested bodies and taking account of the results of the research that the review team require.
We shall consult, in the normal way, on any changes proposed to SSAs for future years which we consider should be made in the light of the review's report.
29. Mr. Robert Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning his proposals to alter the housing priority for homeless families. [10397]
Mr. Clappison:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration to the hon. Member for Greenwich (Mr. Raynsford) on 20 November 1995, Official Report, column 40.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he will publish his Department's evaluation of the homelessness code of guidance commissioned from Birmingham university in 1993; [12144]
Mr. Clappison:
The research, "Evaluation of the 1991 Homelessness Code of Guidance to Local Authorities", will be published shortly. Much of the research relates to matters which will not be affected by the reform of the homelessness legislation, but full account will be taken of the research in preparing a revised code of guidance.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact of the provisions of the Housing Bill upon the numbers of homeless families accepted for temporary housing by local authorities. [12140]
Mr. Clappison:
We expect to see a decline in the number of households accepted as statutorily homeless, both because the legislation will not provide a fast track into a permanent social tenancy and as a result of some applicants finding suitable alternative accommodation.
Competitive Tendering)
(2) what evaluation he has made of the homelessness code of practice commissioned from Birmingham university; and what account he took of the condition of the report in drawing up his proposed homelessness legislation. [12145]
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