House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 20 Mar 1997 (pt 1)

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 683

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 20 March 1997

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Child Support (Legal Aid)

Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has made of the costs to the legal aid budget from court cases where the Child Support Agency decision has led parents without care to seek a ruling to establish contact time with their children. [20173]

Mr. Streeter: None.

Payment of Bills

Mr. Betts: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of bills to his Department for the financial year 1995 to 1996 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. [21206]

Mr. Streeter: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 18 July 1996, Official Report, columns 613-14. Any further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Court Fees (Exemptions)

Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance has been issued to court staff on dealing with applications for exemption from court fees; and if he will publish it. [21400]

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.

Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Keith Hill, dated 20 March 1997:

The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about the guidance issued to court staff on exemptions from court fees. Written guidance on dealing with applications for fee exemption and remission is given to court staff when any fees order includes this issue. The guidance, which is lengthy, is designed for internal use only.

Mr. Hill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions an individual in receipt of (a) family credit, (b) disability working allowance and (c) housing benefit has (i) applied for exemption from payment of a court fee and (ii) been granted exemption from payment of a court fee in each of the last five years. [21401]

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Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Keith Hill, dated 20 March 1997:

The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of fee exemptions applied for, and granted, in each of the last five years. Fee exemption is granted automatically to anyone in receipt of Income Support. In family cases, it is also granted to people receiving Family Credit. Information on the number of people to whom it has been granted is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Litigants on family credit in non-family cases, as well as people in receipt of disability working allowance and housing benefit, can apply for fee remission. Information on the number of applications for fee remission is not kept centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, the table below shows the total number of court cases in which remission has been granted.

Year	Number of cases
1991-92	766
1992-93	953
1993-94	2,261
1994-95	4,153
1995-96	3,414

Land Registry

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the key performance targets for Her Majesty's Land Registry executive agency for 1997-98. [21623]

Mr. Streeter: The following table sets out the key performance targets that the Lord Chancellor has set for Her Majesty's Land Registry for 1997-98.

HM Land Registry Key performance indicators and targets 1997-98

Indicator Target

Financial

Return on average capital employed(1) 2 per cent.

External financing limit £0

Efficiency

Cost per unit in real terms £26.67

Cost per unit in cash terms(2) £29.94

Charter Standards Speed

Percentage of pre-completion applications handled within two working days and 98 per cent.

time taken to process all pre-completion applications 3 working days

Time taken to process 80 per cent. of all registrations 25 working days

Accuracy

Percentage of registrations handled free from any error 98.50 per cent

Percentage of customers responding to the annual survey who perceived the accuracy of registrations to be excellent or good Better than 90 per cent. (being the result of the 1996 survey)

Development of Land Registration

Bringing into force provisions of the Land Registration Act 1997 introducing new "triggers" for compulsory first registration 1 January 1998

Number of computerised titles in the Land Register (millions) 15.10

Number of computerised title plans (millions) 1.00

Number of scanned filed documents (millions) 0.60

Number of account holder using the Direct Access service at the end of the year 550

National Land Information Service

Feasibility study of the National Land Information Service Complete initial phases of feasibility study and report to Government by 31 December 1997

Indicator	Target
Financial
Return on average capital employed(1)	2 per cent.
External financing limit	£0

Efficiency
Cost per unit in real terms	£26.67
Cost per unit in cash terms(2)	£29.94

Charter Standards Speed
Percentage of pre-completion applications handled within two working days and	98 per cent.
time taken to process all pre-completion applications	3 working days
Time taken to process 80 per cent. of all registrations	25 working days

Accuracy
Percentage of registrations handled free from any error	98.50 per cent
Percentage of customers responding to the annual survey who perceived the accuracy of registrations to be excellent or good	Better than 90 per cent. (being the result of the 1996 survey)

Development of Land Registration
Bringing into force provisions of the Land Registration Act 1997 introducing new "triggers" for compulsory first registration	1 January 1998
Number of computerised titles in the Land Register (millions)	15.10
Number of computerised title plans (millions)	1.00
Number of scanned filed documents (millions)	0.60
Number of account holder using the Direct Access service at the end of the year	550

National Land Information Service
Feasibility study of the National Land Information Service	Complete initial phases of feasibility study and report to Government by 31 December 1997

Fuller details of the agency's targets are given in its business plan, which is available from Her Majesty's Land Registry.

(1) ROCHE below 6 per cent. reflects agreement with HM Treasury to apply surplus income generated in 1993-95 (when ROCHE exceeded 25 per cent. in each year) fee reductions in 1996-99.

(2) The inflation factor for the cost per unit in cash terms is derived from the GDP indices announced by HM Treasury in December 1996.

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The Court Service

Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the key performance targets for The Court Service executive agency for 1997-98. [21621]

Mr. Streeter: The following table sets out the key performance targets that the Lord Chancellor has set for The Court Service for 1997-98.

The Court ServiceKey performance targets 1997-98

Indicator Target

Quality of service 1. Average percentage of charter standards achieved 99 per cent.

Civil courts 2. Percentage of Administrative process dealt with within target time 92 per cent.

Crown court 3. Percentage of defendants whose trial commences within target time (16 weeks) or less 75 per cent.

Unit costs (civil) 4. Unit cost of an item of originating process in the civil courts £95

Cost recovery 5. Percentage of the cost of the civil courts recovered through fees 91 per cent.

Unit costs (Crown) 6. Unit cost of a case in the Crown court £1,926

	Indicator	Target
Quality of service	1. Average percentage of charter standards achieved	99 per cent.

Civil courts	2. Percentage of Administrative process dealt with within target time	92 per cent.

Crown court	3. Percentage of defendants whose trial commences within target time (16 weeks) or less	75 per cent.

Unit costs (civil)	4. Unit cost of an item of originating process in the civil courts	£95

Cost recovery	5. Percentage of the cost of the civil courts recovered through fees	91 per cent.

Unit costs (Crown)	6. Unit cost of a case in the Crown court	£1,926

Public Trust Office

Mr. Stephen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the key performance targets for the Public Trust Office executive agency for 1997-98. [21622]

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 686

Mr. Streeter: The following table sets out the key performance targets that the Lord Chancellor has set for the Public Trust Office for 1997-98.

Public Trust OfficeKey performance indicators and targets 1997-98

Indicator Target

1. To carry out accounting transactions within target times. To bring to account at least 98.5 per cent. of receipts and payments transactions within turnaround targets by volume weighted performance.

2. To achieve investment targets. To pay annually not less than the rate provided by the average of a model set of comparators for special and basic rate at 75 per cent. of special rate; on an annual basis to ensure that 85 per cent. of all measured funds perform in line or better than their model based on stock market indices; on a three year rolling basis to ensure that 80 per cent. of all measured funds perform in line or better than their model based on stock market indices.

3. To achieve charter standards. To achieve 98 per cent. of charter standards.

4. To achieve unit costs in activity areas. The cost per unit to be £195.65.

5. Percentage of full costs recovered. To ensure that 100 per cent. of full costs are recovered.

Indicator	Target
1. To carry out accounting transactions within target times.	To bring to account at least 98.5 per cent. of receipts and payments transactions within turnaround targets by volume weighted performance.
2. To achieve investment targets.	To pay annually not less than the rate provided by the average of a model set of comparators for special and basic rate at 75 per cent. of special rate; on an annual basis to ensure that 85 per cent. of all measured funds perform in line or better than their model based on stock market indices; on a three year rolling basis to ensure that 80 per cent. of all measured funds perform in line or better than their model based on stock market indices.
3. To achieve charter standards.	To achieve 98 per cent. of charter standards.
4. To achieve unit costs in activity areas.	The cost per unit to be £195.65.
5. Percentage of full costs recovered.	To ensure that 100 per cent. of full costs are recovered.

Fuller details of the agency's targets are given in its business plan, which is available from the Public Trust Office.

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