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British Prisoners (Venezuela)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to secure the repatriation of James Miles and Paul Loseby, currently detained in Venezuela. [824]
Mr. Fatchett: We have encouraged the Venezuelan government to accede to the Council of Europe Convention on the transfer of Sentenced Persons. If the Venezuelan government accede to the Convention and Mr. Miles and Mr. Loseby are found guilty and sent to prison, they would be able to apply to transfer to a prison in the UK.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the present living conditions and (b) the medical care available to James Miles and Paul Loseby while detained in Venezuela. [825]
Mr. Fatchett: Messrs Miles and Loseby are visited regularly by consular staff. They make sure that living conditions are acceptable and no worse than those of other prisoners. Neither Miles nor Loseby have complained to consular staff about the medical care they have received to date.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to ensure that the medical care and living conditions of James Miles and Paul Loseby are satisfactory while they are detained in Venezuela. [826]
Mr. Fatchett: Consular staff in Caracas regularly visit Mr. Miles and Mr. Loseby. They check on their medical care and living conditions, and if necessary make representations to the Venezuelan authorities.
British Prisoners (Repatriation)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the repatriation of British prisoners. [823]
Mr. Fatchett:
Government policy is that on humanitarian grounds prisoners should be able to serve their sentences in their own country. The United Kingdom
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is party to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and the Commonwealth Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders. We also have bilateral agreements with Thailand and Egypt.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to secure the repatriation of British citizens currently detained in Venezuela. [827]
Mr. Fatchett:
On 17 April we approached the Venezuelan government about accession to the Council of Europe Convention on the transfer of Sentenced Persons. We await their reply. If the Venezuelan government acceded to the Convention British prisoners sentenced and imprisoned in Venezuela would be able to apply to transfer to a prison in the UK.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total cost, including video production, of the presentation made to the media and others in the Locarno room of the FCO on 12 May. [618]
Mr. Fatchett:
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 20 May at columns 39-40 to the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham and the hon. Member for Spelthorne.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the proposed draft treaty of Amsterdam. [789]
Mr. Fatchett:
We placed in the Libraries of the House on 16 May an unofficial paper tabled in the IGC that day by the Dutch Presidency. It is not a draft Treaty, but it includes proposed Treaty changes in most of the areas being discussed in the IGC. We will continue to send papers tabled in the IGC to Parliament.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions he is taking to secure the release of the Panchen Lama Choekyi Nyima; and if he will make a statement. [992]
Mr. Fatchett:
We are concerned at the continued detention by the Chinese authorities of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the child accepted by the Dalai Lama as the eleventh reincarnation of the Panchen Lama. Along with EU partners, the previous government raised its deep concern at this detention with the Chinese. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has also raised the question of human rights with them, most recently in his meeting with the Chinese Ambassador on 12 May. We will continue to work with our EU partners to urge the Chinese authorities to respect human rights and the distinct religious identity of the Tibetans.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what demands the
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United Kingdom is making within the EU to assist United Kingdom fishermen; and if the Government have sought a larger United Kingdom quota. [285]
Mr. Morley:
I have been asked to reply.
The Government will negotiate to achieve changes to the Common Fisheries Policy which will assist United Kingdom fishermen, including strengthening the economic benefits that countries derive from their national quotas. The Government will seek increased quotas when they are justified by the state of the fish stocks.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the population was eligible for legal aid for each year from 1970 to 1996; and what estimate he has made of the percentage of the population which would be eligible for legal aid in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [1077]
Mr. Hoon:
We have no reliable means of estimating the percentage of the population that is eligible for civil legal aid. Estimates of the percentage of households eligible for civil legal aid are available for each of the following financial years.
| Financial year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1979-80 | 77 |
| 1989-90 | 68 |
| 1990-91 | 61 |
| 1992-93 | 53 |
| 1993-94 | 48 |
| 1994-95 | 50 |
| 1995-96 | 50 |
| 1996-97 | 48 |
| 1997-98 | 48 |
Comparable estimates are not available for the other years covered by the question.
There are no formal estimates for future years.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the underspend of the legal aid budget in each of the last three years; and what were the factors which were responsible for the underspend. [1079]
Mr Hoon:
The shortfall in legal aid expenditure as against provision, in each of the last three years for which information is available, was as follows:
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to change the membership of the Legal Aid Board. [1055]
22 May 1997 : Column: 139
Mr. Hoon:
There are currently two vacancies on the Legal Aid Board which the Lord Chancellor intends to fill in due course.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the current levels of remuneration for legal aid for (a) barristers and (b) solicitors. [1056]
Mr. Hoon:
I am satisfied that remuneration rates for legal aid work for both solicitors and barristers are currently set at a level which attracts a sufficient number of competent practitioners to undertake the work, whilst at the same time ensuring that the cost to public funds is not unreasonable. The present levels were considered earlier this year as part of the annual discussions with the profession on remuneration rates. No changes were made.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much money from the legal aid budget has been provided to new age travellers to
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challenge, through (a) the county courts, (b) the High Court, (c) the divisional court and (d) the magistrates courts, decisions to remove them from unlawful occupation of public and private land in each of the last three years. [960]
Mr. Hoon:
It is not possible to distinguish new age travellers from other legally aided applicants. Nor is it possible to identify separately cases involving unlawful occupation of public and private land.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the average cost per case to public funds for cases qualifying for legal aid for each year from 1970 to 1996, in 1996 prices. [1075]
Mr. Hoon:
The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, information on the cost to legal aid is available from 1979-80. Average payments from the legal aid fund, by category of legal aid in 1995-96 prices was as follows:
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The underspends resulted from a lower than expected number of bills and higher than expected recovery of costs by the Legal Aid Fund in civil cases.
1993-93: £73 million
1994-95: £107 million
1995-96: £66 million
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22 May 1997 : Column: 139
Information on Crown court legal aid is not readily available for the period 1979-80 to 1983-84. The Advice By Way of Representation scheme was introduced in 1980-81. The Duty Solicitor Magistrates' Courts Scheme was introduced in 1984-85 and Police Station Scheme in 1985-86.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what target he plans to set in respect of the percentage of the population eligible for legal aid. [1078]
Mr. Hoon:
It is not our intention to set a target of this kind for legal aid. Our aim is to ensure that, within the resources available, legal aid is used to best effect.
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