---

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 675

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 11 November 1999

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Departmental Vehicles

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the total number of vehicles used by his Department and its agencies fuelled by (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) liquid petroleum gas; and what plans he has to increase the rate of conversion of those vehicles to liquid petroleum gas. [98204]

Jane Kennedy: In total, The Lord Chancellor's Department uses 40 petrol fuelled vehicles (including four from the Government Car Service) and 594 diesel fuelled vehicles. The Department does not use any liquid petroleum gas vehicles.

We continue to keep abreast of developments in the use of liquid petroleum gas but the availability of this fuel is currently still prohibitive.

Decisions on fuel conversion will be made in light of the best environmental advice available and in accordance with our Green Transport Plan.

Departmental Waste

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to set targets for the recycling of waste (a) paper, (b) cardboard, (c) glass, (d) metal, (e) plastic and (f) other products created by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [98227]

Mr. Lock: My Department's approach to waste management is based on recovery, reduce and re-use as the preferred options for minimising waste sent to landfill. This should help us to achieve the Green Ministers' target for Government Departments of recovering a minimum of 40 per cent. of total office waste, with at least 25 per cent. of that recovery coming from recycling or composting, in 2000-01. Our own corporate target is to establish a baseline figure for the amount of waste produced by the end of March 2000. We have no set individual targets for paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastic or other materials. Our associate bodies have been encouraged to adopt the target I have set as Green Minister.

Criminal Justice (Review)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has for a comprehensive review of the Criminal Justice System; and if he will make a statement. [98102]

Jane Kennedy: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is considering the desirability of a major review of the criminal courts and will make an announcement in due course.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 676

General Commissioners of Taxation

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what his Department's procedure is for appointing General Commissioners of Taxation; and for what period his committee on appointments of General Commissioners of Taxation has been without a chairman. [98101]

Mr. Lock: The procedure for the appointment of General Commissioners of Income Tax is set out in the Lord Chancellor's Directions for Advisory Committees on General Commissioners of Income Tax, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Mr. Hugh Wyatt, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, became the Chairman of the local Advisory Committee on 1 September 1999 in succession to Mr. Nigel Ventham who retired on that day.

Magistrates Courts (London)

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost was of the reorganisation of London's magistrates courts, pursuant to the Access to Justice Act 1999; and how many permanent jobs will be (a) lost or (b) created within the court service by virtue of the reorganisation. [98139]

Jane Kennedy: The reorganisation of the Magistrates Courts Committees in London is still at an early stage of implementation. It is therefore not possible to provide a costing at this stage. Issues such as redundancy or the creation of new posts will be for the new Greater London Magistrates Courts Authority to determine.

Immigration and Nationality (Legal Aid)

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many legal aid franchises for the provision of advice in immigration and nationality cases have been created in the North East Region; and how many cases it is estimated these franchises will take up. [97968]

Mr. Lock: There are currently 26 solicitors' offices within the North East Region covered by the Legal Aid Board's Newcastle and Leeds area offices that either hold a legal aid franchise for immigration or are in the process of obtaining one. These solicitors' offices submitted bills for 1,150 immigration advice and assistance cases in the 12 month period 1 June 1998 to 31 May 1999. Additionally, there is a Not-for-Profit advice agency that holds an immigration franchise in the Leeds area, and is contracted to provide 1,100 hours case work per annum. The proposed contract awards for next year have not yet been agreed, but will be sent to contractors shortly.

Judicial Appointments

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will identify, for each of the last three years, (a) the 10 sets of chambers with the highest number of judicial appointments, (b) the number of appointments from those chambers broken down by reference to judicial rank and (c) the total number of judicial appointments in each year, broken down by judicial rank. [97961]

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 677

Mr. Lock: The following details have been obtained about appointments to the Circuit Bench and above. Details of appointments below Circuit Bench level would require extensive searching through individual records and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

In 1996-97 there were two appointments from the chambers of Mr. Anthony Boswood QC at Fountain Court, London (one High Court Judge and One Circuit Judge) and two each from the chambers of Mr. Guy Boney QC at 3 Pump Court, London, the chambers of Mr. Keith Armitage QC at 8 King Street, Manchester and the chambers of Mr. James Stewart QC and Mr. Robert Smith QC at Park Court Chambers Leeds (all to the Circuit Bench).

In 1997-98 there were two appointments from the chambers of Mr. David Crigman QC at 1 Fountain Court, Birmingham (one to the High Court and one to the Circuit Bench); and two each from the chambers of Mr. Bruce Blair QC at 1 Mitre Court, London and the chambers of Mr. Stephen Riordan QC at 25-27 Castle Street, Liverpool (all to the Circuit Bench).

In 1998-99 there were two appointments to the Circuit Bench from the chambers of Mr. James Townend QC at 1 King's Bench Walk, London.

No other chambers has had more than one member appointed to the Circuit Bench or above in any one of the last three years.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 678

Details of the number of judicial appointments in the past three years is set out in the following table:

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99
High Court Judges	8	8	7
Circuit Judges	22	34	15
Recorders	87	37	99
Assistant Recorders	93	120	136
District Judges (including Family Division)	18	38	43
Deputy District Judges (including Family Division)	45	63	100
Stipendiary Magistrates	2	5	7
Acting Stipendiary Magistrates	0	33	66

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Overseas Aid

Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the percentage changes made in (a) the overall overseas aid package and (b) in overseas aid per country in each of the years 1990 to 1997. [96177]

Clare Short: As agreed with my hon. Friend, the information is given in the following table, by region, for the 20 largest recipients of British development assistance and Belize. The largest recipients have been identified according to expenditure in 1997-98, the most recent year for which figures are available.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 677

Annual percentage change in UK gross bilateral public expenditure on aid% change on previous year

Region	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98
Total--all countries	-1	15	-3	6	3	-9	5
Africa	-13	20	-13	4	-8	1	6
Sub Saharan Africa	-14	20	-13	6	-8	1	6
America	-26	28	-4	16	46	-44	113
Caribbean	-37	2	5	2	37	-32	171
Asia	16	5	-3	7	7	-14	-11
Europe	264	39	36	5	-7	5	-18
Pacific	-33	28	-48	-14	-4	-4	-7
Non-Region Specific	-4	7	13	2	-0	3	-7
Top 20 Recipients (1)
India	35	-15	-12	-2	55	-28	0
Guyana(2)	-62	-48	80	8	80	-52	1,214
Zambia	-31	39	-0	18	5	-31	50
Tanzania	-22	93	-48	-3	-3	81	-4
Uganda	-14	25	17	15	-13	20	6
Ghana	53	-7	-37	-10	11	8	70
Mozambique	-32	90	2	-28	-12	21	68
China	9	64	-4	-16	16	-2	24
Indonesia	37	-5	7	47	11	-33	4
Bangladesh	15	10	-14	2	-5	-17	-14
Montserrat	-29	9	74	2	13	120	165
Russia	n/a	-56	76	58	-6	4	4
Kenya	-23	-2	-16	-3	-4	-10	16
Pakistan	-17	-6	37	73	-28	-1	-49
Malawi	-40	5	-1	53	-13	26	-36
South Africa	15	24	25	8	11	29	17
States of ex-Yugoslavia	n/a	6,403	40	-12	-16	11	-52
Nepal	-13	-17	-3	16	5	-4	11
Philippines	-19	76	9	56	-37	15	-3
Zimbabwe	42	-7	-7	-14	-43	4	-29
Belize	-39	22	39	171	-62	21	-69

(1) The top twenty recipients of UK gross public expenditure on aid in 1997-98 in terms of volume.

(2) In 1997-98 Guyana received £85 million in debt relief.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 679

Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list for each year from 1990 to 1997 those countries receiving British overseas aid ranked according to (a) benefit per capita of population and (b) average income per capita. [96176]

Clare Short: Tables showing this information by region, for the 20 largest recipients of British development assistance and Belize have been placed in the Library. The largest recipients have been identified according to expenditure in 1997-98, the most recent year for which figures are available.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 680

Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what countries were beneficiaries of UK overseas aid and by what amounts for each year from 1990 to 1997. [96175]

Clare Short: As agreed with my hon. Friend, the information is given in the following table, by region, for the 20 largest recipients of British development assistance and Belize. The countries have been ranked according to expenditure in 1997-98, the most recent year for which figures are available.

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 679

UK gross bilateral public expenditure on aid£000

	1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98
Region
Total--all countries	1,184,438	1,176,845	1,353,889	1,308,257	1,380,234	1,421,580	1,288,488	1,351,663
Africa	505,941	440,598	526,833	457,991	474,887	437,764	443,596	469,982
Sub Saharan Africa	485,887	419,107	503,001	438,972	464,186	427,785	431,744	457,636
America	125,330	92,905	118,538	114,208	132,350	192,774	107,315	228,081
Caribbean	97,115	61,566	62,598	65,730	67,322	92,154	62,902	170,360
Asia	348,367	403,782	424,574	410,387	438,515	467,595	403,041	357,256
Europe	19,604	71,340	99,362	134,713	141,972	132,158	138,122	113,226
Pacific	33,751	22,462	28,715	14,935	12,806	12,294	11,849	11,058
Non-Region Specific	151,445	145,758	155,868	176,022	179,704	178,996	184,566	172,061
Top 20 Recipients (3)
India	100,751	135,983	116,108	102,367	100,743	155,882	112,368	112,560
Guyana(4)	21,104	8,031	4,215	7,571	8,168	14,668	7,040	92,488
Zambia	49,868	34,444	47,978	47,752	56,164	58,923	40,594	60,929
Tanzania	41,596	32,430	62,457	32,499	31,584	30,674	55,441	53,229
Uganda	32,211	27,836	34,707	40,551	46,592	40,632	48,827	51,538
Ghana	29,219	44,659	41,736	26,190	23,546	26,252	28,425	48,287
Mozambique	26,593	18,001	34,177	34,744	25,015	22,027	26,611	44,722
China	19,515	21,243	34,914	33,630	28,337	32,803	32,137	39,875
Indonesia	25,158	34,422	32,679	34,885	51,401	57,265	38,477	39,847
Bangladesh	51,600	59,217	64,934	56,068	56,987	54,282	44,937	38,865
Montserrat	4,218	2,996	3,271	5,689	5,815	6,568	14,452	38,317
Russia	8	26,686	11,795	20,749	32,817	30,953	32,205	33,610
Kenya	49,957	38,351	37,514	31,503	30,678	29,379	26,403	30,542
Pakistan	44,824	37,236	35,063	48,197	83,488	60,233	59,367	30,156
Malawi	43,272	26,093	27,378	27,015	41,246	35,721	44,874	28,873
South Africa	8,093	9,325	11,558	14,504	15,667	17,337	22,436	26,264
States of ex-Yugoslavia	6	569	37,003	51,803	45,514	38,095	42,473	20,385
Nepal	19,050	16,513	13,646	13,220	15,377	16,081	15,514	17,252
Philippines	9,086	7,359	12,933	14,045	21,972	13,846	15,885	15,360
Zimbabwe	33,627	47,690	44,268	41,390	35,393	20,172	21,078	15,058
Belize	6,016	3,674	4,498	6,233	16,886	6,335	7,666	2,383

(3) The top twenty recipients of UK Gross Public Expenditure on Aid in 1997-98 in terms of volume

(4) In 1997-98 Guyana received £85 million in debt relief

11 Nov 1999 : Column: 679

---