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Local Government Electorate
Mr. Doran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the electorate of each ward in each local authority area in Scotland. [12697]
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Mr. Chisholm:
The electorate for local government elections in each ward of each local authority area in 1997, drawn from information held by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, is set out in a table which has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Doran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy regarding the provision of post-operative care; and if he will make a statement. [12700]
Mr. Galbraith:
Responsibility for determining the range of services needed to meet all the health care needs of their population rests with Health Boards. That general principle applies to post-operative care.
The national clinical audit database lists more than 80 local audit projects on post-operative care from Health Boards and Trusts covering a wide range of specialties and professions. This information is available to all hospitals as a means of disseminating good practice and avoiding duplication of effort.
River Dee Crossing
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the impact upon the economy of (a) Deeside and (b) North East Wales, of opening the new River Dee crossing. [13315]
Mr. Hain: None. Flintshire County Council are responsible for this scheme.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he estimates the new River Dee crossing will be open to public traffic; and when he expects the official opening will take place. [13313]
Mr. Hain: Flintshire County Council are responsible for this scheme. They estimate completion before Christmas.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the cost to date of building (a) the new River Dee crossing and (b) associated approach roads. [13314]
Mr. Hain: Flintshire County Council are responsible for this scheme. The Welsh Office has to date provided support of some £64 million under the Transport Grant arrangements.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the annual number of vehicles which will use the River Dee crossing; and if he will make a statement. [13316]
Mr. Hain: Flintshire County Council are responsible for this scheme. They estimate average daily flows of 21,100.
Transport Grants
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to reduce the current disparity in the funding of Welsh transport grants between urban and rural Wales; and if he will make a statement. [13171]
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Mr. Hain:
All local authorities in Wales are invited to bid for transport grant and each scheme submitted is assessed on its merits against the grant criteria. I will ensure that all projects submitted by rural authorities are given fair consideration against these criteria.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to include economic development effects within cost-benefit analyses when awarding transport grants in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [13174]
Mr. Hain:
Economic development effects do not form part of the standard cost-benefit analyses used to assess road schemes. However, they form part of the wider Transport Grant criteria upon which projects are assessed.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to bring the strategic
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planning authority for public transport for Wales under the remit of the Welsh Assembly; and if he will make a statement. [13172]
Mr. Hain:
There is no strategic planning authority for public transport for Wales. However, the Government are currently consulting on an integrated transport policy. The Government's policy on devolution is that the Welsh Assembly will take over virtually all the functions of the Secretary of State for Wales. The functions, including those with respect to public transport, will be set out in an order that will be made under the Act which establishes the Assembly.
Mr. Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients were removed from general practitioners lists by (a) county and (b) health authority in each of the past five years. [14212]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The presently available information, for the years 1993-94 and 1994-95, is given in the table:
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Notes:
(22) Excluding those recorded under first category.
(23) Currently available data are for 1993-94 and 1994-95 for former Family Health Service Authorities.
n/a = not available.
Source:
GMP Census Additional Data Collection 1994-95, Department of Health 1996.
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Civil Litigation
Mr. Burnett: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research his Department has conducted into the requirement, in terms of the likely success or merits of a case, for the instigation of civil proceedings by a litigant; what criteria correspond to current usual practice; and if he will make a statement. [13772]
Mr. Hoon:
The decision whether to litigate and the criteria applied to judge the likely success or merits of the case are matters for the client on the professional advice of his lawyer if he has one. I have not commissioned research into this specific area but my Department has commissioned a number of research projects which look generally at why people choose to litigate.
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Mr. Burnett:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what criteria and methods his Department intends to use to measure the probability of success in cases of civil litigation; and if he will make a statement. [13719]
Mr. Hoon:
The decision whether to litigate and the criteria applied to judge the likely success or merits of the case are matters for the client on the professional advice of his lawyer if he has one.
Mr. Burnett:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultations his Department has held with members of the insurance industry, and related experts, on the subject of arrangements for insurance civil litigants who will be able to litigate using the intended extension of the conditional fee agreement; what were the conclusions of such discussions; and if he will make a statement. [13715]
Mr. Hoon:
My officials are in discussion with interested parties, including representatives of the insurance industry, about the range of issues connected
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with the extension of conditional fees, and not least the provision of insurance against the potential liability for an opponents costs and who should meet those costs.
Mr. Burnett:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultations his Department is holding on plans for changes in the legal aid and civil justice system; which bodies he is willing to accept representations from; and what the deadlines are for consultation on each aspect. [13717]
Mr. Hoon:
I include a table showing the consultation papers that are presently planned. In many cases the dates are provisional and may be changed in the light of circumstance.
| Civil justice reform | Issue date | Responses required by |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical negligence procedures | Paper issued on 31 October 1997 | 31 December 1997 |
| Multi-party situations | Paper issued on 31 October 1997 | 31 December 1997 |
| Specialist jurisdictions (Chancery, Admiralty, Official Referees etc.) | Planned for November 1997 | Expected to be end of January 1998 |
| Small claims limit and fast track limit | Planned for November 1997 | Expected to be end of January 1998 |
| Civil court fees | Planned for November 1997 | Yet to be decided |
| Fast track costs and fixed costs | Planned for April 1998 | Expected to be end of July 1998 |
| Extension of conditional fees | Planned for January 1998 | Yet to be decided |
| Changes to scope of civil legal aid | Planned for January 1998 | Yet to be decided |
| Legal Aid reform proposals for introducing contracts and a revised merits test | Consultation will take place during the first half of 1998 | It is planned to complete the consultation by end of June 1998 |
Mr. Burnett: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the expenditure implications of the changes in (a) training, (b) staffing and (c) information technology required for the implementation of those of Lord Woolf's civil justice proposals which Her Majesty's Government intends to implement by April 1999. [13714]
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. John Burnett, dated 3 November:
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The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about the costs of Lord Woolf's Civil Justice proposals.
We are currently working out the detailed implications of the effects of the changes on (a) training, (b) staffing and (c) information technology of the Lord Chancellor's recent announcement on the Middleton Review, but are not yet in a position to give specific expenditure figures. However, although there will be implementation costs in the short term, they will be in line with the Government's commitment to remain within current expenditure plans and therefore will be absorbed within existing budgets.
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