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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Payment of Bills
Mr. Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of bills to his Department were paid (a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b) within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied in the last year for which figures are available. [18816]
Mr. Bates: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 17 December 1996, Official Report columns 506-7.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Legal Aid (Human Growth Hormone Treatments)
Ms Eagle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the cost to the legal aid budget to date of the litigation in respect of human growth hormone treatments. [18085]
Mr. Streeter: As at 28 February 1997, the Legal Aid Board has made payments on account totalling £940,355 to the solicitors conducting the case. The main action has been successful and the court made a costs order in favour of the successful plaintiffs. Depending on the final outcome of all litigation, the board will recover some or all of its costs from the defendants.
Legal Aid (Rochdale Court Closure)
Ms Lynne: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has made of the impact on legal bills, with particular reference to the legal aid budget, of increased travelling by solicitors required by the closure of Rochdale county court. [17972]
Mr. Streeter: None. Consideration of the closure of Rochdale county court is at a very preliminary stage. A final decision, which will follow public consultation, will be taken only when the implications for court users, and the legal aid fund, have been fully assessed.
Payment of Bills
Mr. Betts:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of bills to his Department were paid (a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b) within 30 days of receiving
6 Mar 1997 : Column: 692
goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied in the last year for which figures are available. [18814]
Mr. Streeter:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Economic Secretary on 17 December 1996, Official Report, columns 507-8. Any additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will provide a breakdown by project of PFI schemes for which his Department is responsible as identified in table 5.5 of the Red Book. [18931]
Mr. Streeter:
A breakdown by project of the Lord Chancellor's Department's PFI schemes, as identified in table 5.5 of the Red Book, is given in table 1. Current estimates are shown in table 2.
| Estimated capital investment: | 1997-98 £ million | 1998-99 £ million | 1999-2000 £ million | Total £ million |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project: | ||||
| LOCCS (Court Service IT) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Sheffield Family Hearing Centre | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Probate Records Store | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| ARAMIS (Resource Accounting IT) | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| MASS (Magistrates Courts IT) | 8 | 12 | 12 | 32 |
| Magistrates Pathfinder (Accommodation) | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Magistrates Accommodation (tranche 1) | 0 | 39 | 39 | 78 |
| Magistrates Accommodation (tranche 2) | 0 | 0 | 46 | 46 |
| PRFD (Central London Accommodation) | 31 | 10 | 0 | 41 |
| East Anglia Court Accommodation | 0 | 10 | 9 | 19 |
| Total | 61 | 88 | 118 | 267 |
(Figures are rounded to the nearest £ million)
(Figures are rounded to the nearest £ million)
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NATIONAL HERITAGE
Sport
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions her Department has had with (i) the Central Council for Physical Recreation, (ii) the British Universities Sports Association, (iii) the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and (iv) the National Union of Students regarding (a) the encouragement of sport among young people, (b) the availability of resources for sport and physical recreation within the further and higher education sector and (c) Britain's preparations for the 2000 Olympics. [17412]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 26 February 1997]: I had discussions with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals, the Standing Conference of Principals and the Further Education Funding Council prior to publishing the sports policy statement, "Sport: Raising the Game", in July 1995. These discussions formed the basis of chapter 3 of the policy statement, which included undertakings by the three organisations to provide a more detailed picture of provision for sporting opportunities and sports facilities in the further and higher education sectors. The FEFC report was published in June 1996 and the CVCP/SCOP report was published in December 1996. These reports highlighted best practice and made proposals which, if pursued, will be in the interests of the institutions and their students.
The United Kingdom Sports Council is intending to explore greater associations with universities, especially in relation to the British Academy of Sport. The UKSC has not as yet had any specific discussions with the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the CVCP or the National Union of Students on the three issues raised, but recognises that they must count as possible partners in any joint approach to the future development of student sport.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Whitemoor Prison
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the staff present in the emergency control room at HMP Whitemoor on the evening of 9 September 1994 were interviewed by the Woodcock inquiry. [16865]
Miss Widdecombe:
Sir John Woodcock's report records that more than 100 prison officers were interviewed by his inquiry. I understand that the identity of witnesses to the inquiry is covered by an undertaking of confidentiality given by the inquiry.
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Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were present in the emergency control room at HMP Whitemoor on the evening of 9 September 1994. [16864]
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) who issued the instructions to desensitise the prison perimeter fence at HMP Whitemoor on 9 September 1994; [16862]
Miss Widdecombe:
I understand that Sir John Woodcock found no reason to believe that the sensitivity of the perimeter fence alarm at Her Majesty's prison Whitemoor was below the required standard on 9 September 1994.
Mr. George Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures should occur in the event of an alarmed dispersal prison perimeter fence being activated; what safeguards are in place to ensure the effective implementation of these procedures; and in what circumstances these procedures or safeguards would not occur. [16860]
Miss Widdecombe:
The procedures to be followed in the event of a perimeter fence alarm being activated in a dispersal prison are set out in local operational orders drawn up by the governor and in local contingency plans agreed with the director of dispersal prisons. Perimeter fence alarms are required to be tested daily, and the procedures should be regularly reviewed and tested by means of exercises based on the contingency plans. These arrangements are aimed at ensuring that effective procedures are in place and it is not possible to foresee the circumstances in which they would not be followed.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards are in place to ensure that desensitised alarms on dispersal prison perimeter fences remain sensitive enough to detect wires being cut.[16859]
Miss Widdecombe:
The requirements for the operation and testing of perimeter fence alarm systems are set out in the Prison Service's security systems operation and testing manual. Such alarm systems are required to be tested daily with a spring-loaded instrument which imparts a pre-determined impact onto the wire mesh fence. This impact must be registered on the alarm monitoring system. The sensitivity of the alarm must not be reduced below this level.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues as to the circumstances which should cause dispersal prison (a) perimeter fences alarms to be turned off and (b) perimeter fences to be desensitised. [16857]
Miss Widdecombe:
There should be no occasion when the perimeter fence alarm in a dispersal prison is turned off. A perimeter fence alarm can be modulated according to environmental conditions, for example, to prevent very high winds causing repeated false alarms.
6 Mar 1997 : Column: 695
(2) at what time and for how long the prison perimeter fence at HMP Whitemoor was desensitised on 9 September 1994. [16861]
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