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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Salaried Solicitors
Mr. Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he is considering for ending the present legal aid system and replacing it by a network of salaried solicitors. [5620]
Mr. Hoon: The Lord Chancellor has appointed Sir Peter Middleton to undertake a review of civil justice and legal aid. A preliminary report is expected at the end of September. Any decisions on the future of legal aid will have to await the outcome of that review.
Access to the Law
Mr. Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to ensure that no citizen is deterred from having access to the law because of their financial circumstances. [5618]
Mr. Hoon: The Government's aim is to allow proper access to the law by reducing the price of civil litigation and its attendant delays and complexity. That is why the Lord Chancellor has asked Sir Peter Middleton to review civil justice and legal aid. We shall be able to look again at the policy on publicly funded access to the law in the light of that review.
Collateral Benefit and Fatal Accident Damages
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Law Commission plans to publish its consultation papers on (a) collateral benefit in personal injury claims and (b) fatal accident damages. [5118]
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Mr. Hoon:
The Law Commission hopes that publication of these two consultation papers will take place later this year.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Law Commission report on psychiatric injury, responding to consultation paper 137, will be published. [5120]
Mr. Hoon:
The Law Commission hopes that publication of the report on Liability for Psychiatric Illness, following consultation paper 137, will take place later this year.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many personal injury actions were commenced in (a) the County Courts and (b) the High Court in (i) the last three months of 1996 and (ii) the first three months of 1997. [5115]
Mr. Hoon:
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 Michael Huebner to Mr. Andrew Dismore, dated 27 June 1997:
No data is yet available for 1997.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of personal injury cases commenced in the county courts and the High Court.
Detailed figures for personal injury actions issued are not kept centrally in the form requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, estimated figures, based on sample data, are shown below for the whole of 1996:
Number
Writs and originating summonses (issued in the Royal Courts of Justice): 1,543
Summonses issued in the county courts. 253,500
Aggravated Damages
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Law Commission report on aggravated damages, responding to consultation paper 132, will be published. [5119]
Mr. Hoon:
The Law Commission hopes that publication of the report on Aggravated, Exemplary and Restitutionary Damages, following consultation paper 132, will take place later this year.
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Minister Without Portfolio
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Prime Minister what access (a) the Minister without Portfolio and (b) his personal staff have to information obtained by the security services.[5414]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 25 June 1997]: As with other Ministers, such access as is authorised under the relevant legislation and as is necessary for the performance of their duties.
OSCE (Parliamentary Delegation)
Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Prime Minister if he will announce the membership of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.[6145]
The Prime Minister: I have appointed 13 representatives from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to act as the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE. The next meeting of the Assembly will take place in Warsaw from 5 to 8 July. The delegation will consist of eight Members of the Labour Party, three Members of the Conservative Party and two Members of the Liberal Democrat Party. I have also appointed a number of substitute delegates.
The appointment of Conservative and Liberal Democrat Party representatives and substitutes have been made on the basis of nominations by the parties concerned.
Representatives from the Government Benches will be:
Representatives from the Conservative Party will be:
The hon. Member for Swansea, East (Mr. Anderson), who will act as leader; the hon. Members for Stockton, North (Mr. Cook), for Tooting (Mr. Cox), for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Davis), for Walsall, South (Mr. George), for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay) and for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) and Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale.
Representatives from the Liberal Democrat Party will be:
The right hon. Members for East Devon (Sir Peter Emery) and for Wealden (Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith) and Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.
The following substitutes have been appointed to act as necessary on behalf of the delegates:
The hon. Members for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) and for Richmond Park (Ms Tonge).
From the Government benches--the hon. Members for Cynon Valley (Ms Clwyd), for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr. Cohen) and for Newcastle under Lyme (Mrs. Golding).
From the Opposition benches--the right hon. the Lord Jopling and the hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Mr. Campbell).
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Attorney-General what discussions have taken place in the past year in the North
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Atlantic Council on the International Court of Justice's advisory opinions of 8 July 1996 on the legality of nuclear weapons. [4912]
Mr. Fatchett:
I have been asked to reply.
The advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legality of nuclear weapons has been discussed in NATO, in particular by the Staff Group of the Nuclear Planning Group. NATO allies agree that the Alliance's strategy of war prevention, including its nuclear component, is fully compatible with the United Nations Charter and international law.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will list the meetings he held with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) others on each day from 16 June to 20 June. [5619]
Mr. Mandelson: I have nothing to add to the replies I have already given the hon. Member.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Internet
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what use he plans to make of the Internet to make Government more open.[5103]
Mr. Doug Henderson: This Department will continue to develop its programme of Internet publishing to facilitate the wider dissemination of Foreign and Commonwealth Office news and information material, in line with the Open Government Code of Practice. This includes guidance on how to complain for those dissatisfied with Consular Services provided at British Embassies, High Commissions or consulates overseas.
It is planned to establish websites for the following forthcoming international meetings which the UK will host: the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the EU Presidency, the Asia-Europe Meeting and the "Summit of the 8".
For an account of "FCO On-Line" (http://www.fco.gov.uk/), the world-wide web service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the previous right hon. Member for Richmond and Barnes on 11 March 1997, Official Report, columns 151-52.
Some British missions overseas also maintain Internet websites and for a list of these I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave in another place on 3 June 1997, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 19-20.
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Mr. Andy King:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to release more records of the wartime Special Operations Executive. [6218]
Mr. Robin Cook:
The next batch of SOE records for release, covering the Balkans, will be the largest so far. They have been transferred to the Public Record Office, and will be opened on 1 July 1997. Further SOE records will be released in due course.
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