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Legal Aid Centres
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Parliamentary Sectetary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much grant is allocated in 1996-97 to how many legal aid centres; in which main locations; and if he will make a statement. [17099]
Mr. Streeter: The Department provides the Legal Aid Board with funds from which annual grants are made to nine law centres, in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff and Middlesex. In 1996-97 the board has paid £900,564 in annual grants to the law centres.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to (a) EDS, (b) Andersens, (c) BMI, (d) Capita and (e) Sema since 1992 and the broad function to be carried out by the contractors and the value of the contract in each case. [17605]
Mr. Streeter: The information is as follows:
| Consultants | Number of contracts | Nature | Value (excluding VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDS | 1 | A seven-year contract was awarded on 8 October 1996 under the private finance initiative. Under the contract, the local county court system (LOCCS) will computerise much of the routine work of the county courts. The first module of the new system, Caseman, will enable court documents to be issued automatically and replace the system of manual record keeping for every case, making access to case details easier. Five existing information technology systems including CREST (which supports Crown court centres) SPC and CCBC (which support centralised functions for Northampton County Court) were transferred to EDS | In region of £20-£25 million |
| Andersens | 0 | ||
| BMI | 0 | ||
| Capita | 5 | (a) Recruitment services (b) Recruitment services (c) Recruitment services (d) Recruitment services (e) Recruitment services | (a) £32,149 (b) £23,262 (c) £850 (d) £2,550 (e) £113 |
| Sema | 0 |
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Court Waiting Times
Mr. Straw: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his reply of 14 February, Official Report, column 354, what was the number of defendants (a) on bail and (b) in custody, who waited (i) less than eight weeks and (ii) less than 16 weeks before being dealt with. [17622]
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.
| 0-8 weeks | 0-16 weeks | |
|---|---|---|
| Bail | 16,409 | 21,120 |
| Custody | 29,728 | 45,019 |
NORTHERN IRELAND
Cold-related Illnesses
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what have been the excess winter treatment rates for cold-related illnesses in hospitals in Northern Ireland for (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients for each of the last 10 years; [17214]
- (2) how many people in Northern Ireland received treatment by NHS doctors for cold-related illnesses for the period December 1996 and January 1997; and what was the average figure for similar periods in the past 10 years. [17221]
Mr. Moss: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland received hospital treatment as (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients for cold-related illnesses for the period December 1996 and January 1997; and what was the average figure for similar periods in the past 10 years. [17218]
Mr. Moss:
The information available for in-patients is shown in the table and covers the period 1989-90 to 1995-96. For the purposes of the question, "cold-related illnesses" have been defined as pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis and hypothermia.
3 Mar 1997 : Column: 507
(7) Source:
"Hospital Inpatients Systems".
3 Mar 1997 : Column: 509
3 Mar 1997 : Column: 509
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and
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its agencies during the past 12 months, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [17063]
Sir John Wheeler:
The information requested in respect of the Northern Ireland Departments and their agencies is as follows for the period 1 January 1996 to 31 January 1997:
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| (A) Items stolen | (B) Items unaccounted for Items valued at over £5,000 | IT equipment (including in previous figures)
| Number | Cost (£) | Number | Cost (£) | Stolen | Unaccounted
| 83 | 86,868 | 138 | 9,362 | One Sokkisha survey instrument--£7,145 (stolen from Roads Service Agency store) | Six items totalling £9,242 | Six items totalling £2,296
| One mobile chlorination unit--£6,395 (stolen from Water Service Agency--locked site) |
| One Sokkisha station set--£7,012 (stolen from Roads Service Agency) |
| One Ford Sierra car--£7,805 (stolen from Environment and Heritage Service Agency) |
| One Lorry--£10,443 (stolen from Roads Service Agency locked depot) |
| | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 Mar 1997 : Column: 509
Figures do not include DOE items valued at less than £500 as their inclusion would incur disproportionate costs.
All items valued at over £5,000 were the property of DOE.
Mr. Trimble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when advice or instructions will be issued by the Department of Education (Northern Ireland) to schools in respect of approved uses of the funds allocated under the social deprivation factor. [17672]
Mr. Ancram:
Under the local management of schools formula arrangements, it is a matter for the schools to decide and prioritise how they spend their budgets, including their targeting social need allocations. The Department does not specify how any individual elements of school budgets should be spent, but the provision made by any school is always subject to general inspection.
Mr. Trimble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will investigate as a matter of urgency the effect of the social deprivation factor on the balance of funding between controlled and maintained primary schools of approximately the same enrolment, with particular reference to schools with enrolments in excess of 150 pupils. [17667]
Mr. Ancram:
The Department's targeting social need policy focuses on the targeting of additional resources to schools in terms of social and educational disadvantage, regardless of whether those schools are controlled or maintained. Just over 60 per cent. of such funding
3 Mar 1997 : Column: 510
allocated under the local management of schools arrangements goes to Catholic maintained schools, and that is a reflection of the additional need in these schools. However targeting social need allocations represent only a small part of the overall school budget and, when all other factors are taken in account, the total per capita allocations to controlled and maintained schools are very similar.
Mr. Trimble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is (a) the total allocation in 1996-97 for the five education and library boards in Northern Ireland in respect of the social deprivation factor in their budgets and (b) the amount distributed directly to schools by the Department of Education (Northern Ireland) using a free school meals factor. [17665]
Mr. Ancram:
A total of £35,726,893 was allocated to schools by the education and library boards in 1996-97 in respect of targeting social needs.
The Department allocated a total of £1,496,868 to voluntary grammar schools and £563,847 to grant maintained integrated schools in the same year.
Mr. Trimble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what evidence he has obtained of low educational achievement in respect of each grammar school in receipt of funding determined by reference to social deprivation. [17670]
Mr. Ancram:
None. Only 4 per cent. of the targeting social need funds is allocated to grammar schools reflecting the low incidence of social deprivation as
3 Mar 1997 : Column: 511
measured by the number of pupils entitled to free school meals. All such pupils are eligible for additional support regardless of which schools they attend.
Mr. Trimble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the social deprivation factor was first applied to school budgets in Northern Ireland; what steps have been taken to monitor this allocation and assess its cost-effectiveness; and when he will publish the results of the monitoring procedures. [17666]
Mr. Ancram:
Targeting social need funding for schools has been an integral part of local management of schools funding arrangements since their introduction in 1991. Under the LMS formula arrangements it is for schools to prioritise how they spend their budgets, including their targeting social need allocations. Schools are responsible to parents for the way in which they spend their resources and provision made for low achieving pupils is also an integral part of the published inspection reports of schools. A recent research project undertaken by the University of Ulster showed that schools are aware of targeting social need allocations and make every effort to use the funds effectively.
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