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Community Legal Service
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure equality of access to the proposed community legal service for those on low incomes. [70896]
Mr. Hoon:
The Community Legal Service will be of particular benefit to people with low incomes, as its aim is to improve access to information and help with potential or actual legal problems through developing a comprehensive network of legal service providers of consistently good quality. This network will involve a variety of providers, including lawyers in private practice, Law Centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux, and other advice
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centres, and will look to meet the needs and priorities of the local community, and not simply those currently eligible for civil legal aid.
Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) how long on average people who (a) were refused leave to remain in the United Kingdom in (i) March 1997, (ii) June 1997, (iii) September 1997, (iv) December 1997, (v) March 1998 and (vi) June 1998, (1) for a year on the grounds of marriage, (2) indefinitely on grounds of marriage, (3) indefinitely as a child of parents settled here, (4) indefinitely as the parent of children settled here and (5) for a longer period as a student and (b) were refused asylum in the United Kingdom waited between the date of refusal and the date of determination of their appeal by an adjudicator or special adjudicator; and how long he estimates those refused in each category in (x) September 1998, (y) December 1998 and (z) January 1999 will wait; [71795]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I have been asked to reply.
Information is available only for the waiting times between asylum refusals and adjudicator appeal determinations. This is given in the table. Based on this information, it is projected that similar cases lodged in September 1998, December 1998 and January 1999, are likely to take approximately seven months.
(2) how long, on average, people who were refused entry clearance at a British post abroad in (i) March 1997, (ii) June 1997, (iii) September 1997, (iv) December 1997, (v) March 1998 and (vi) June 1998 (a) to join a British or settled spouse in the UK, (b) to join a British or settled parent in the UK, (c) as the elderly parent of a British or settled adult child in the UK, (d) to come to follow a course of studies for more than six months, waited between the date of lodging the appeal and (1) the appeal papers being sent to the UK and (2) the date of the adjudicator's determination of their appeal; and how long he estimates those refused in each category in (x) September 1998, (y) December 1998 and (z) January 1999 will wait. [71783]
| Month of asylum decision | Average time to appeal determination (months) |
|---|---|
| March 1997 | 8 |
| June 1997 | 8 |
| September 1997 | 9 |
| December 1997 | 8 |
| March 1998 | 6 |
| June 1998 | 5 |
(10) Figures are estimates, based on cases for which information is recorded
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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Legal Services
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list (a) the London barristers' chambers and (b) the London solicitors' firms that have performed services for his Department (i) since 1 May 1997 and (ii) in the equivalent period preceding that date, indicating the remuneration paid in each particular case. [70027]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 8 February 1999]: The information requested is not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
My right hon. and Learned Friend the Attorney-General appointed Philip Sales as First Junior Treasury Counsel (Common Law) and Jonathan Crow as First Junior Treasury Counsel (Chancery) to advise and represent the government in their important civil cases. In addition, the Attorney-General maintains at present two London panels of junior Counsel whom departments are expected to use for the rest of the government's civil litigation. The panels currently comprise 103 barristers from 42 different sets of chambers. The Attorney-General will shortly appoint a third panel of very junior barristers. The Attorney- General's individual nomination is required before a barrister who is not on one of the approved panels can be instructed to appear for the government in litigation.
Departments may use firms of solicitors in addition to the Treasury Solicitor and their departmental legal advisers, for example where the relevant expertise lies in the private sector. The relationship is subject to the usual confidentiality which operates between lawyer and client.
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what regulations have been introduced which would implicitly exclude Christian broadcasters from the process of obtaining a national radio frequency. [71551]
Janet Anderson:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 11 February 1999, Official Report, columns 301-02.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the remuneration of the Beefeaters at the Tower of London. [72221]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 22 February 1999]: Including rostered overtime and allowances, the total salaries of Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London are typically in the region of £18,000 to £19,000 per annum. They occupy accommodation at the Tower for which they pay 8.5 per cent. of their basic pensionable salary. The Yeoman Warders also have a long established practice of receiving gratuities freely offered by visitors. These gratuities are shared by the Yeoman body, declared to the Inland Revenue and a small percentage is given to charities. This practice is under review.
23 Feb 1999 : Column: 239
Mr. Ruffley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the services that KPMG have performed for his Department (a) since 1 May 1997 and (b) in the corresponding period prior to 1 May 1997, indicating the remuneration made in each case. [72004]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 22 February 1999]: The services provided by KPMG for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were as follows:
(a) no services for the period 1 May 1997 to date.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Performance Appraisal Training | 12,225 |
| Pay Delegation Consultancy | 9,554 |
| Research for Benchmarking Small Hotels | 110,673 |
| Research for Contracting Out Public Libraries | 2,954 |
| Research for Museums Documentation Association | 12,500 |
| Review of Broadcasting Standards Commission and Broadcasting Complaints Commission | 44,680 |
| Review of RCHME | 4,406 |
Museums, Galleries and Libraries
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to encourage the use of National Lottery funds to help (a) museums, (b) galleries and (c) libraries add to their collections. [72021]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 22 February 1999]: The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has already contributed, and will continue to provide, a large amount of capital investment to museums, galleries and libraries. The HLF is currently preparing its strategic plan; funding for the addition of important collections or single objects to museum and gallery collections and the acquisition of library collections of heritage importance will continue to be a significant part of its overall support for the heritage.
The Government are committed to ensuring that every public library has access to the extensive resources of the National Grid for Learning. The New Opportunities Fund will be providing £70 million to assist in the development of new digital resources and the provision of relevant training for public library staff.
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Mr. Peter Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what measures his Department is taking to develop craft skills in the film industry; [72215]
(3) what plans he has to encourage the provision of apprenticeships in the film industry. [72216]
Janet Anderson
[holding answer 22 February 1999]: One of the recommendations made of the Film Policy Review Group was for the formulation of an integrated training strategy for film and a Skills Investment Fund for training made up of voluntary contributions from film production. The training strategy we have now developed includes proposals for new provision for craft skills, the technical skills base and apprenticeships in the film industry. We are currently working towards agreement with the industry on the detail of how the Fund will work and how the training strategy will be implemented.
(2) what plans he has to improve the technical skills base of the film industry; [72219]
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