4 Nov 1996 : Column: 311
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 4 November 1996
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Legal Profession
Mr. Donald Anderson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the extent to which the legal profession in the United Kingdom is open to candidates from all social backgrounds. [277]
Mr. Streeter: The Lord Chancellor's responsibilities in this field extend only to England and Wales. The criteria for entry into the legal profession are set by the professional bodies and I have made no such assessment. However, both the Law Society and the Bar Council have adopted anti-discrimination measures to seek to ensure that fair recruitment practices are followed.
Female Staff
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many women are currently employed by his Department; and what proportion this is of the total. [1250]
Mr. Streeter: For the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Court Service and the Public Trust Office, the information is as follows:
Total male: 4,205
Total female: 7,370
Proportion of total: 63.7 per cent.
Young Offenders
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average length of time from the charging of alleged young offenders to their cases being tried in (a) Manchester and (b) Trafford magistrates and youth courts in each of the last five years; and what is the national average figure. [1394]
Mr. Streeter: The information requested is not available. The magistrates courts time intervals survey collects information on defendants in indictable--including triable either way--cases against whom proceedings are completed in three sample weeks a year--in February, June and October. The June survey also collects information about proceedings in summary cases. In cases where the defendant is charged, this date is collected. However, the start date of any summary trial is not. Further information on the survey is available in Lord Chancellor's Department information bulletins which are held in the House of Commons Library.
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Child Care
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of the (a) women who are mothers and (b) men who are fathers who are employed by his Department have received assistance from the Department with child care. [1283]
Mr. Streeter: Although the civil service collects statistical information on staff employed in Government Departments and executive agencies, we do not collect information on the parental status of individual staff. It would be inappropriate for us to request this information from staff and difficult to justify the collection of such data. For the period 1 October 1995 to 30 September 1996, however, subsidised employee child care was provided for 94 women who are mothers and 26 men who are fathers in the Lord Chancellor's Department, Court Service and Public Trust Office. Help is also available with additional child care costs incurred owing to breaks in normal working patterns and special leave given to parents for domestic emergencies. Advice on finding child care is contained in the "Childcare Handbook" provided to all maternity leavers.
Public Relations
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much his Department spent on (a) advertising, (b) public relations and (c) entertainment in each of the last five financial years. [1265]
Mr. Streeter: My Department has no specific public relations budget. Expenditure on publicity and promotions in each of the last five financial years was as follows:
1992-93: £40,000
1993-94: £46,667
1994-95: £78,961
1995-96: £117,684
1996-97: (to end September): £40,061.
1992-93: £20,697
1993-94: £20,477
1994-95: £26,159
1995-96: £27,694
1996-97: (to end September): £6,165.
Prosecutors
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to restrict prosecutors in the Crown court to Crown Prosecution Service staff; and if he will make a statement. [268]
Mr. Streeter: Rights of audience are determined under the procedure laid down in the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. There is no question of restricting prosecutors in the Crown court to Crown Prosecution Service staff.
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Rather, our policy is to allow for a wider provision of legal services, while maintaining the proper and efficient administration of justice.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Agricultural Development Advisory Service
Sir Anthony Durant: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when ADAS is to be privatised; and what the objectives for the privatisation will be. [2641]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: ADAS is on course to meet its financial targets for 1996-97, including the target of 100 per cent. cost recovery on its advisory services. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have therefore decided to proceed as quickly as possible with the sale of the business. We will invite expressions of interest from potential bidders for the business as a whole or any or all of its constituent parts--consultancy, research and development and the laboratory--although our preference is to dispose of the business as a whole.
Our objectives for the privatisable functions of ADAS will be:
(1) To transfer the privatisable functions of ADAS, and the associated risks, to the private sector on the best available terms--that is, terms which optimise the risk adjusted net benefit to the taxpayer;
In pursuing these objectives, we will have regard to the need to ensure that the staff concerned in the transfer are treated fairly, in accordance with the relevant legislation.
(2) To ensure that the services to be provided to MAFF and the Welsh Office from the private sector can be delivered continuously, economically, efficiently and effectively;
(3) To provide for a "clean break" between Government and the privatised organisation(s), or failing that, to minimise any contingent liabilities falling on the Government.
Departmental Cash Limits
Sir Anthony Durant: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes are proposed in his departmental cash limits for 1996-97. [2642]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class III, vote 1, section B--the Intervention Board executive agency--will be increased by £7,641,000 from £56,817,000 to £64,458,000. The increases are to cover the administration costs associated with the implementation of emergency measures to protect against bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the United Kingdom for expenditure on IT services. The running costs cash limit will be increased by £3,350,000 from £36,818,000 to £40,168,000. Agents' services will be increased by £4,291,000 from £18,427,000 to £22,718,000. The supplementary will also give partial effect to the running costs end flexibility entitlement of £2,814,000 announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 July 1996, Official Report, columns 326-31. At this stage it is proposed to take up £565,000 of this increase to cover expenditure on IT systems.
The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not, therefore, add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class III, vote 2--Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: operational expenditure, agencies and departmental administration--will be increased by £5,057,000 from £911,318,000 to £916,375,000. The £5,057,000 relates mainly to the take-up of capital end-year flexibility entitlement of £5,189,000 as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 July 1996, Official Report, columns 326-31.
The following departmental transfers are also included; to the Scottish Office, administration (class XIII vote 6) £20,000 BSE-related running costs and £255,000 research and development expenditure, and from the Security Facilities Executive and the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate, £143,000 running costs.
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