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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Magistrates Courts (Staffordshire)
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received from members of the public and organisations within Staffordshire regarding the closure of magistrates courts within the county. [13728]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: In the last three months, my officials have received three representations against the closure of magistrates courts in Staffordshire.
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for each magistrates court within Staffordshire, the number of cases held there in each of the last five years and the number of staff currently employed. [13725]
Mr. Evans: The numbers of defendants in criminal cases completed and civil applications in respect of which a final adjudication was made, in areas under the control of justices' clerks in magistrates courts in Staffordshire, for the last five years are shown in the table.
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannock | 13,132 | 13,016 | 12,142 | 19,357 | 19,080 |
| Lichfield | 18,490 | 16,384 | 17,232 | 19,798 | 19,041 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 13,730 | 13,587 | 11,113 | 12,243 | 13,167 |
| Mid-Staffordshire | 10,276 | 10,156 | 8,585 | (1)-- | (1)-- |
| Stoke on Trent | 26,121 | 23,771 | 23,387 | 24,152 | 25,888 |
(1) Mid-Staffordshire was amalgamated with Cannock on 1 January 1994.
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) if he will list the magistrates courts within Staffordshire that will be (a) closed and (b) merged as a result of his Department's proposals to rationalise the magistrates service; [13726]
- (2) if he will list those magistrates courts in Staffordshire that have been closed over the last five years. [13727]
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Mr. Evans: Magistrates courts are provided by the local paying authority for the use of the magistrates courts committee. Closure decisions are for the MCC to determine, although the paying authority may appeal to the Lord Chancellor against a proposed closure.
Staffordshire MCC closed Eccleshall magistrates court in 1992 and Uttoxeter magistrates court in 1995.
No decision has been made by the Staffordshire MCC to close or merge any other magistrates courts.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many Mary Bell orders are currently in force. [13681]
Mr. Jonathan Evans:
The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Rhodri Morgan, dated 9 February 1996:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about Mary Bell orders currently in force.
The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 31 January Official Report, column 499, about the lapse of time since the destruction of Flight PA 103, what considerations he has given to implications of the statute of limitations for the prosecutions of those accused of the crime; and if he will make a statement. [13613]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Having consulted my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate, I can confirm that the only time limits applying in this case are those which commence after the appearance of the accused on petition before a sheriff in Scotland. In terms of section 101 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 an overall time limit of 12 months from the date of first appearance until the commencement of the trial would apply. This would also be subject to the custody time limits of (a) 80 days from full committal (which may be up to 10 days after first appearance) within which an indictment must be served and of (b) 110 days from full committal, within which time the trial must commence.
Food Hygiene
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the annual cost of implementing food and hygiene legislation. [13552]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has had from local authorities on matters relating to food hygiene. [13581]
9 Feb 1996 : Column: 377
Mr. Robertson:
Officials of the Scottish Office regularly receive inquiries from local authorities about food hygiene matters. Within the last 12 months, formal representations have been received about the payment of the costs of a court case and procedures laid down in codes of practice. Representations were also received about the sale of raw goats' milk.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what support he affords local authorities who face legal action for implementing their statutory responsibility under food and hygiene legislation. [13554]
Mr. Robertson:
Although my right hon. Friend provides around 85 per cent. of local authorities' total funding for non-housing net current expenditure, most of that support is provided by way of a block grant. No allowance is made, either in deciding the overall level of support or in the distribution of support among authorities, for expenditure resulting from legal action of any kind.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions there have been of businesses for breach of the food and hygiene legislation in Scotland in each year since 1992. [13580]
Mr. Robertson:
The following figures show the numbers of companies in Scotland against which proceedings were brought where the main alleged offence was a breach of the Food Safety Act 1990 or of food hygiene regulations.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how he ensures that local authorities implement food and hygiene legislation. [13553]
1992: 52
1993: 34
1994: 26
Mr. Robertson: Local authorities submit quarterly statistical returns to the Scottish Office which summarise their activities carried out under food safety legislation.
Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has had from industry concerning food hygiene legislation; and if he will make a statement. [13582]
Mr. Robertson: During the last 12 months my right hon. Friend has received representations from the industry about the enforcement of food safety legislation and the sale of unpasteurised goats' milk.
Industry guides to good hygiene practice are being developed by various sectors of the food industry in consultation with the Government and food legislation enforcers. These guides should help industry to meet their legal obligations and to ensure food safety.
9 Feb 1996 : Column: 378
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions in the last five years he has reminded local authorities of their statutory responsibility to inspect the production of soft cheese. [13585]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson:
Guidance notes and code of practice No. 18 were issued on 7 November 1995 to all food authorities in Scotland in relation to their responsibilities under the Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1995.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of soft cheese producers; and what subjects were discussed. [13583]
Mr. Robertson:
Although my right hon. Friend has not met representatives of soft cheese producers, they have regular meetings and correspondence with officials of his Department. The development of a code of best practice is currently under discussion.
Mr. Hood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the dangers posed to public health by listeria in soft cheese; and if he will make a statement. [13584]
Mr. Robertson:
None. However, the current Scottish Office co-ordinated programme on listeria is concentrating on molecular techniques for identifying virulent strains, and on survival and growth of the pathogen in the gut, food and silage systems. The Expert Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food has been asked by the Scottish Office and Department of Health for an expert assessment of current scientific knowledge on the pathogenesis and virulence of listeria with particular emphasis on cheese.
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the annual expenditure figures and forecasts for the (a) countryside access scheme, (b) environmentally sensitive areas, (c) farm conservation grant scheme, (d) farm woodland premium scheme, (e) habitat scheme, (f) nitrate sensitive areas, (g) moorland scheme, (h) organic aid scheme and (i) countryside stewardship for each year between 1990-91 and 1997-98. [13634]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
[holding answer 5 February 1996]: There is no countryside stewardship scheme and there are no nitrate sensitive areas. Information about the other schemes is set out in the following table. Provision for 1997-98 has not yet been determined.
9 Feb 1996 : Column: 377
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