| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Emergency Legal Aid
Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions the decision to grant an emergency legal aid certificate by a solicitor's practice with devolved powers under a legal aid franchise has subsequently been overruled by a legal aid area office in each of the last five years. [10437]
Mr. Streeter: The number of occasions on which a legal aid area office has overruled the decision of a franchised solicitor to use their desolved powers to grant emergency civil legal aid is given below. Also given is the number of occasions on which the terms of the grant decisions was amended by the area office.
| Year | Overruled decisions | Amended decisions |
|---|---|---|
| August 1994 to March 1995 | 62 | 61 |
| April 1995 to March 1996 | 197 | 185 |
| April 1996 to December 1996 | 365 | 261 |
Franchising was introduced in August 1994.
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 12
Mr. Butcher:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received from Coventry and Solihull magistrates in respect of the proposed amalgamation of Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry magistrates courts committees; and if he will abandon the project. [10745]
Mr. Streeter:
I have received 145 individual representations and a petition from Coventry magistrates and 36 individual representations from Solihull magistrates on this subject. A decision on the way forward will be made after consideration of all the representations received.
Mr. Tipping:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the running costs of each probate district and the income generated for the latest year for which figures are available. [10798]
Mr. Streeter:
The question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
| Probate district | Fees recovered (calendar year 1995) | Running costs (financial year 1995-96) |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 3,097,675 | 333,404 |
| Brighton | 4,091,954 | 356,055 |
| Bristol | 3,349,502 | 400,071 |
| Ipswich | 3,368,046 | 351,956 |
| Leeds | 2,739,697 | 369,301 |
| Liverpool | 2,454,852 | 332,946 |
| Manchester | 2,834,928 | 380,594 |
| Newcastle | 2,609,140 | 386,457 |
| Oxford | 3,613,422 | 331,746 |
| Wales | 1,611,637 | 394,952 |
| Winchester | 4,617,840 | 337,002 |
| London (PRFD) | (3)5,417,488 | (4)5,864,191 |
(3) This figure includes fees received from the Record Keeper's Department (which provides copies of wills and grants).
(4) This figure is the overall running cost of the Principal Registry of the Family Division in London which houses the Family Proceedings Department and the PRFD Secretariat as well as the Probate Department.
Additionally, £2,996,597 was paid for probate accommodation centrally during the financial year 1995-96.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Ministerial Leave
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many days of leave he plans to take during the Christmas adjournment; [9807]
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 13
- (2) how many days leave he has taken in the Easter, Whitsun and summer adjournments; and how many days leave he took during the time in which Parliament was prorogued this year. [9806]
Mr. Freeman: Ministers are required to be available for Government business at all times. Subject to this overall requirement they may take leave as and when Government business permits.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many days of leave he plans to take during the Christmas adjournment; [9805]
- (2) how many days leave he has taken in the Easter, Whitsun and summer adjournments; and how many days leave he took during the time in which Parliament was prorogued this year. [9804]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Minister without Portfolio (1) how many days of leave he plans to take during the Christmas adjournment; [9809]
- (2) how many days leave he has taken in the Easter, Whitsun and Summer adjournments; and how many days leave he took during the time in which Parliament was prorogued this year. [9808]
Dr. Mawhinney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) when each Department produced its (a) initial report on progress and achievements and (b) final report on formulating an action plan in response to paragraph 31, page 9 of the efficiency unit's report. "The Government's Use of External Consultants", August 1994; [9993]
- (2) what assessments have been made on the use of external consultants since the August 1994 efficiency unit report reviews. [9995]
Mr. Freeman: All Departments have taken action to implement the recommendations of the scrutiny. Action plans were received from all Departments shortly after publication of the scrutiny report and all Departments have carried out, or have programmes in place to carry out, implementation as described in those plans. As part of the continuing initiative to improve value derived from expenditure on consultancy, the Prime Minister's adviser on efficiency, at the end of 1995, conducted as assessment of the processes Departments use to subject related expenditure to ministerial approval. The efficiency unit continues to monitor Departments' expenditure on consultants.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in what form advice and guidance is issued to (a) individual Government Departments and (b) non-departmental public bodies on the use of external consultants. [9983]
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 14
Mr. Freeman: Comprehensive and relevant advice and guidance on good practice is contained in the efficiency unit's scrutiny, "The Government's Use of External Consultants" (HMSO: August 1994); this is available to all Departments and non-departmental public bodies. Many Departments have produced and issued their own guidance in light of the report.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will update his estimate of the 20 most used external consultant firms as contained in the efficiency unit's report "The Government's Use of External Consultants", August 1994. [9994]
Mr. Freeman: I have no plans to do so.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the amount spent on external consultants by his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years. [10190]
Mr. Freeman: No money has been spent on external consultants by my Department's non-departmental public bodies in the last five years.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the actions his Department has taken on each of the recommendations contained in the Cabinet Office report "The Government's Use of External Consultants". [10191]
Mr. Freeman: The Cabinet Office has acted on the 34 recommendations contained in the report. In implementing the recommendations it has improved its management and control of the use of consultants, including monitoring expenditure and value gained. Guidance on buying and using external consultancy has been circulated to staff.
Ministerial Resignations
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those Ministers who have resigned from Government office since the 1992 general election, indicating from which ministerial position they resigned, how much severance was paid following their resignation and the date in each case on which payment was made. [10277]
Mr. Freeman: Ministers and Government office holders who have resigned since the 1992 general election are as listed. Unless otherwise noted, each was paid a severance payment in accordance with the terms of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.
| Name | Position | Date of payment |
|---|---|---|
| The right hon. Tom King MP | Secretary of State, Defence | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Kenneth Baker MP | Secretary of State, Home Office | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Peter Brooke MP | Secretary of State, Northern Ireland | (5)-- |
| The right hon. the Lord Waddington QC | Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Alan Clark MP | Minister of State, Defence | (5)-- |
| Michael Fallon MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Education and Science | (5)-- |
| Alan Howarth CBE MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Education and Science | (5)-- |
| The hon. Colin Moynihan MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Energy | (5)-- |
| David Trippier MP | Minister of State, Environment | (5)-- |
| Baroness Hooper | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Health | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Angela Rumbold CBE MP | Minister of State, Home Office | (5)-- |
| The right hon. The Lord Belstead | Minister of State, Northern Ireland | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Tim Renton MP | Minister for the Arts | (5)-- |
| Lord Reay | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Trade and Industry | (5)-- |
| Christopher Chope OBE MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport | (5)-- |
| Lord Brabazon of Tara | Minister of State, Transport | (5)-- |
| The hon. Francis Maude MP | Financial Secretary to the Treasury | (5)-- |
| John Maples MP | Economic Secretary to the Treasury | (5)-- |
| Nicholas Bennett MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office | (5)-- |
| Lord Cavendish | Lord in Waiting | (5)-- |
| The right hon. David Mellor QC MP | Secretary of State, National Heritage | (5)-- |
| Nigel Forman MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Education and Science | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Norman Lamont MP | Chancellor of the Exchequer | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Archibald Hamilton MP | Minister of State, Defence | (5)-- |
| Edward Leigh MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Trade and Industry | (5)-- |
| Robert Jackson MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Office of Public Service and Science | (5)-- |
| Kenneth Carlisle MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Tristan Garel-Jones MP | Minister of State, Foreign Office | (5)-- |
| Michael Mates MP | Minister of State, Northern Ireland | (5)-- |
| The right hon. Lord Hesketh | Chief Whip, House of Lords | (5)-- |
| Timothy Yeo MP | Minister of State, Environment | 8 February 1994 |
| The right hon. The Earl of Caithness | Minister of State, Transport | 11 February 1994 |
| Michael Brown MP | Assistant Government Whip | 7 June 1994 |
| The right hon. The Lord Wakeham | Lord Privy Seal | 20 July 1994 |
| The right hon. John MacGregor OBE MP | Secretary of State, Transport | 14 July 1994 |
| The right hon. Peter Brooke CH MP | Secretary of State, National Heritage | 23 August 1994 |
| The right hon. John Patten MP | Secretary of State, Education | 10 August 1994 |
| The right hon. Sir Wyn Roberts MP | Minister of State, Welsh Office | 15 August 1994 |
| The right hon. Peter Lloyd MP | Minister of State, Home Office | 20 July 1994 |
| The right hon. Nicholas Scott MBE MP | Minister of State, Social Security | 20 July 1994 |
| The right hon. Sir John Cope MP | Paymaster General | 12 August 1994 |
| The hon. Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office | 2 September 1994 |
| Robert Key MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport | 14 July 1994 |
| Sir Irvine Patnick OBE MP | Lord Commissioner | 12 August 1994 |
| The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne | Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords | 12 August 1994 |
| The Viscount St Davids | Lord in Waiting | 12 August 1994 |
| Lord Annaly | Lord in Waiting | 12 August 1994 |
| Patrick McLoughlin MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Trade and Industry | 23 August 1994 |
| The right hon. Timothy Sainsbury MP | Minister of State, Trade and Industry | 31 August 1994 |
| Timothy Smith MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Northern Ireland | 29 November 1994 |
| Neil Hamilton MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Trade and Industry | 28 November 1994 |
| The Earl of Arran | Captain of the Queen's Bodyguards of the Yeoman of the Guard | 14 February 1995 |
| Allan Stewart MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office | 28 February 1995 |
| Charles Wardle MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Trade and Industry | 7 March 1995 |
| Robert Hughes MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Office of Public Service and Science | 31 March 1995 |
| Thomas Dawson QC | Solicitor General for Scotland | 31 May 1995 |
| The right hon. John Redwood MP | Secretary of State, Wales | 18 July 1995 |
| The right hon. Jonathan Aitken MP | Chief Secretary to the Treasury | 28 July 1995 |
| The right hon. David Hunt MBE MP | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | 28 July 1995 |
| The right hon. Douglas Hurd CBE MP | Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office | Not eligible (over 65) |
| The right hon. Richard Ryder OBE MP | Parliamentary Secretary, HM Treasury (Chief Whip) | 28 July 1995 |
| The right hon. Richard Needham MP | Minister of State, Trade and Industry | 31 July 1995 |
| The right hon. Robert Atkins MP | Minister of State, Environment | 28 July 1995 |
| The right hon. The Viscount Ullswater | Minister of State, Environment | 31 July 1995 |
| Sir Hector Monro DL MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office | Not eligible (over 65) |
| The Viscount Astor | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, National Heritage | 31 July 1995 |
| David Lightbown MP | Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household | 28 July 1995 |
| Sydney Chapman MP | Vice-Chairman of Her Majesty's Household | 28 July 1995 |
| Nicholas Baker MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Home Office | 11 November 1995 |
| The right hon. The Lord Rodger of Earlsferry QC | Lord Advocate | 30 November 1995 |
| Roderick Richards MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office | 28 June 1996 |
| David Heathcoat-Amory MP | Paymaster General | 19 August 1996 |
| Steven Norris MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Transport | 25 September 1996 |
| The right hon. Tim Eggar MP | Minister of State, Trade and Industry | 25 September 1996 |
| David Willetts MP | Paymaster General | 7 January 1996 |
(5) Not available.
13 Jan 1997 : Column: 17
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |