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European Charter on Self-Government
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his plans to ratify the European Charter on Local Self-Government. [18865]
Mr. Raynsford: Subject to the views of this House and those of Another Place, the Government intends to ratify the European Charter on Local Self-Government as soon as practicable in the new year.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Conditional Fees
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has undertaken to discover (a) the number of people, who since their introduction, wanted to pursue civil claims on a conditional fee arrangement but whose cases were not accepted by solicitors and (b) the reasons for which those cases were not accepted by solicitors. [18733]
Mr. Hoon: None. Lawyers decline to accept cases from clients for many reasons whether the client wishes to fund these through conditional fee agreements or otherwise.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has undertaken to discover the suitability of conditional fee arrangements in (a) medical negligence, (b) breach of contract, (c) professional negligence, (d) defamation and malicious falsehood and (e) false imprisonment and malicious prosecution cases; and if he will publish it.[18732]
Mr. Hoon: None. The suitability of conditional fee arrangements in any given case must be a matter for the client and their lawyers. Our proposals to extend the availability of conditional fee agreements simply widen the options available to lawyers and their clients and thus increase the ways in which people can obtain access, to justice, even when they are unable to bear the costs of lawyers' fees but do not qualify for legal aid.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the damages awarded to plaintiffs in cases brought under a conditional fee arrangement were paid to (a) solicitors and (b) barristers as success fees in each year since their introduction. [18734]
Mr. Hoon: The information the hon. and learned Member seeks is not available. No arrangements were put in place by the hon. and learned Member's party when in Government to monitor this, which is, in fairness, dependent on the private contractual arrangements clients make with their lawyers. The PSI research did, however, show that in 97 per cent. of the agreements under study the solicitors had applied the voluntary cap of 25 per cent. of damages on their success fee.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has undertaken into the public's attitude to conditional fee arrangements; and if he will publish it. [18735]
2 Dec 1997 : Column: 116
Mr. Hoon:
Over 28,000 cases in just over two years and new agreements being made at a rate of 1,500 a month appear to me substantial proof that the public have welcomed conditional fees and have made considerable use of them.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of insurance available (a) between 1995 and 1997 inclusive and (b) from 1 April 1998 to cover plaintiffs' liabilities for (i) their own costs and disbursements and (ii) defendants' costs and disbursements. [18736]
Mr. Hoon:
There are a considerable number of legal expenses insurance products available to protect against one's own costs of going to law. Many people have them added to their household or motor car insurance policies at very modest cost. I have no reason to believe these are likely to reduce from 1 April 1998. There clearly has been sufficient availability of insurance to allow over 28,000 claims to be brought in a little over two years. New products are still being launched. I see no reason why other insurance products should not become available on or after 1 April 1998.
Mr. Chidgey:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to (a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18226]
Mr. Hoon:
This answer covers the Headquarters of the Lord Chancellor's Department (with Associated Offices), the Court Service, Public Trust Office, Land Registry, Public Record Officer and Northern Ireland Court Service. Minimum salaries currently payable to full-time staff, expressed as minimum hourly rates, are shown in the tables below. Part-time salaries are pro rata those of full-time staff. Staff are categorised by current grade. Information as to location is not held in the form requested, but separate details are given--where applicable--for staff in London and elsewhere.
Details of the range of pay of staff employed by firms undertaking contracted out services are not held and could be provided only if contractors were prepared to waive commercial confidentiality considerations.
The above rates relate to staff in the grade of Administrative Assistant. They also represent the minimum payable to individuals employed on personal contracts (casual Administrative Assistants).
2 Dec 1997 : Column: 117
All staff are employed in offices in the Greater London area.
Mr. Rhodri Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Chairman of Cardiff Bay Development Corporation about progress relative to the contract on the Barrage lock gate contract awarded to Messrs Noell of Wurzburg, Germany. [18212]
Mr. Ron Davies:
None. Responsibility for monitoring progress on the Barrage lock gate contract is an operational matter for the Corporation. It would not be appropriate for the Department or the Corporation to get involved or indeed to comment on sub-contractual arrangements.
Mr. Caton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for local government revenue spending and grant support in 1998-99; and if he will make a statement. [19122]
Mr. Ron Davies:
Following consultation with representatives of local government in Wales, I propose that the provision for local authority revenue expenditure (total standard spending) in 1998-99 should be £3,090.5 million. This represents an increase of £120 million, or 4 per cent. on the comparable level of funding for 1997-98. The provision includes £190.2 million for care in the community, the additional £50.3 million revenue spending for schools I announced
2 Dec 1997 : Column: 118
on 2 July, and extra provision to help local authorities achieve the Government's policy objectives for nursery education.
For local authorities, I intend to set provisional capping principles which will allow, on average, for a basic increase of 3 per cent. on 1997-98 budgets, an average of 4.6 per cent. when a number of capping disregards and the passporting of standard spending assessment increases in full are taken into account. The provisional capping principles allow local authorities further headroom for expenditure in addition to that provided by total standard spending.
I propose to set central government support for total standard spending through aggregate external finance at £2,702 million. Within this support, I propose to make available £1,831.1 million in revenue support grant/council tax reduction grant (includes an extra £6 million to help limit council tax increases); £612 million in distributable non-domestic rates; and £258.9 million in specific grants.
If local authorities spend in line with the proposed capping principles, council tax bills for band D properties should, on average, increase by about £1.20 a week. However, if councils use only a small part of planned efficiency savings to keep council tax bills down, or draw from reserves, I believe that average increases in council tax bills next year for band D properties should not exceed about £50 a year or £1 a week. The council tax reduction scheme is designed to limit the maximum increase in any authority for spending at the capped level to under £1 a week for band A properties to around £2.50 a week for band H properties.
Looking further ahead, the Welsh Local Government Association has sought stability for the next two or three years and asked for a fundamental review of the system for distributing grant in readiness for the National Assembly for Wales. I have agreed to both these requests and plan to commission jointly with the Association an independent assessment of the current arrangements for calculating standard spending assessments. I hope that an interim report will be available next summer.
Further information on the proposed settlement, including details for individual authorities, will be announced next week.
I am making a separate announcement today giving details of the settlement for police authorities.
LCD HQ (with Associated Offices)
£4.51 (London)
£3.44 (elsewhere)
Court Service
£4.45 (Inner London)
£4.08 (Intermediate London zone)
£3.96 (Outer London)
£3.30 (elsewhere)
The above rates relate to staff in the grade of Administrative Assistant and also represent the minimum payable to individuals on personal contracts (casual Administrative Assistants). The rates do not include a negotiated uplift due to take effect for permanent staff in April 1998.
Public Trust Office
£4.53 (Administrative Assistant)
Staff on personal contract: as above (casual Administrative Assistant)
All staff are in London
Land Registry
£5.06 (London) Registration Assistant 2
£3.50 (elsewhere)
Staff on personal contract: none outside Senior Civil Service.
Public Record Office
£4.27 (Junior Print Operator)
Staff on personal contract: none
Northern Ireland Court Service
£4.10 (Typist)
Staff on personal contract: none outside Senior Civil Service.
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