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Voluntary Organisations
28. Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures he has taken to ensure that voluntary organisations receive funding to enable them to continue the provision of services. [81018]
Mr. Galbraith:
The importance of voluntary organisations in helping to deliver services is already recognised in the high level of funding which is provided by the Government. Scottish Office funding for the sector totals nearly £283 million a year, with £23 million in direct aid and a further £260 million provided through
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other funded agencies. These funds support organisations working in the fields of social welfare, health promotion, homelessness, the provision of social housing, rural poverty and urban deprivation.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the latest unemployment figures for Scotland. [81012]
Mr. Macdonald:
ILO unemployment (not seasonally adjusted) in Scotland fell by 5,000 over the year to December 1998-February 1999 to 179,000. The rate of ILO unemployment fell by 0.1 percentage points to 7.2 per cent.
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to protect the jobs of those currently employed in the Kvaerner group in Scotland. [81015]
Mr. Macdonald:
A Task Force has been established to identify potential purchasers of the shipyard at Govan, the engineering works at Clydebank and any other Scottish business affected by the Kvaerner announcement and to report its findings to the Scottish Office.
Sir Gavin Laird is chairing the Task Force. Other members are Mr. David Smith, former Commercial Director of the Govan shipyard, Mr. Malcolm Clark, former President of Keystone International in the USA, and Mr. Bill Scott, former Director of Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd. The work of the Task Force will be given the full support of the Scottish Office and it will be able to call on whatever additional and specialist support it requires. Kvaerner has given a commitment to give the Task Force its wholehearted support.
Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money he has allocated to the provision of women's refuges over the past three years. [80997]
Mrs. Liddell:
Local authorities are responsible for the financial support of women's refuges as they are best placed to consider the priorities and care needs of the population within their area. The Government have provided substantial resources to enable authorities to meet their social work and housing responsibilities. In addition, we have provided £200,000 under the Urban Programme (now the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund) in the three years to March 1998 specifically for Council support of women's refuges.
In the three years to March 1999, the Scottish Office provided grants of over £664,000 to Scottish Women's Aid, the national voluntary organisation to which the majority of local women's aid refuges are affiliated. We
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provided an additional £150,000 earlier this year following the public response to the recent domestic abuse advertising campaign.
From 1 July 1999, these matters will be for the Scottish Parliament.
33. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list his responsibilities in relation to the trial of the Lockerbie suspects in the Netherlands following the transfer of powers to the Scottish Parliament. [81023]
Mr. Hoon:
I have no responsibilities in relation to the Lockerbie trial. The transfer of powers to the Scottish Parliament will not affect that position.
34. Mr. Gareth Thomas:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the Government's proposals to enable judicial review hearings to be heard in regional centres outside London. [81024]
Mr. Hoon:
As of 1 July, judicial review cases involving Welsh devolution issues could be initiated and heard in Wales. On 22 March the Lord Chancellor announced a Review of whether judicial review cases should be heard in regional centres outside London.
35. Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to reform the shrievalty. [81025]
Mr. Hoon:
Sheriffs have a role in the enforcement of High Court judgments. A review of enforcement is currently being undertaken by this Department, which will examine that role in some detail, particularly during the Review's second stage, starting in June 2000 Any proposals affecting the Sheriffs will be subject to public consultation.
36. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of small claims court procedures. [81027]
Mr. Hoon:
The Lord Chancellor's Department commissioned research into the small claims procedure from Professor John Baldwin. This was published in December 1997. Professor Baldwin found that at least three quarters of the litigants interviewed, who had been involved in small claims, were content with the way their cases had been handled in court. This included some who had lost their cases as well as those who had won.
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39. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the shortest time a barrister has spent in practice before being appointed a QC since 1969. [81031]
Mr. Hoon:
According to available departmental records, the shortest period that has elapsed, since 1969, between the date to call to the Bar of England and Wales and the award of Queen's Counsel is six years. This applicant, however, had previously spent many years in practice in another jurisdiction.
40. Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what action the Government are taking to ensure adequate insurance cover for fees to undertake personal injury cases. [81032]
Mr. Hoon:
Insurance products have been available for almost four years and at least 55,000 policies have been issued in that period. In the last 18 months more products have emerged, including one by a major insurers in the last month.
I and my officials continue to hold discussions with the insurance industry to enable them to take decisions about whether to create newer, even better products. I am satisfied that people with good personal injury claims will be able to secure insurance to underpin a conditional fee agreement offered by their lawyer.
41. Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will introduce a register of interests for the judiciary. [81033]
Mr. Hoon:
The Lord Chancellor has no present plans to introduce a register of interests for the judiciary.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to make court proceedings less formal. [81028]
Mr. Hoon:
The Government are aiming to create an open, fair and accessible justice system. In civil proceedings, the civil justice reforms, introduced yesterday, will provide rules in plain English; extend the simple and informal small claims procedure, and encourage greater use of alternative dispute resolution.
In criminal proceedings, the Government are considering ways to help change the culture in the youth courts, to make them less adversarial and more understandable for those involved. The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Bill contains a number of measures directed at enabling vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give their best evidence. These include the power to order the removal of wigs and gowns where appropriate.
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he
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has made of the proportion of the legal aid budget in 1998-99 spent on individual cases of exceptionally high cost. [81030]
Mr. Hoon:
Assessing the proportion of the legal aid budget spent during any particular financial year on individual cases of exceptionally high costs would not provide any useful analysis, since payments are spread over the lifetime of a case, which may extend to a number of years. Additionally, a civil case may not result in any cost to the Fund if, at the end of the case, all costs and damages are recovered.
Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has to close Monmouth County Court; and what representations he has received opposing these proposals. [81856]
Mr. Hoon:
On 8 March 1999, the Lord Chancellor granted permission to open public consultation, over a two month period, on a proposal to close Monmouth County Court. As at 21 April, 4 representations had been received, 3 of which oppose the proposal to close.
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