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Pig Industry

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take measures to ensure that the £26 million package for United Kingdom pig farmers, aimed at restructuring the industry, will enable UK pig farmers to retain their export capacity. [121768]

Ms Quin: The ongoers element of the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme is aimed at those pig farmers who wish to remain in pig production and want to restructure their business to make it viable in the longer term. Export demand for pigmeat is determined by a number of factors but the nature of the domestic market is such that we would expect the UK to continue as a significant exporter of fresh and frozen pork.

Penalty Clauses

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the contracts entered into with private sector companies for the provision of goods or services since May 1997 where penalty clauses were triggered for non-performance; and if he will make a statement. [122024]

Mr. Morley: Penalty clauses are unenforceable under the law of contract, and contracts let by core-MAFF and its Agencies do not contain them. Contracts let by the Ministry do, where appropriate, contain contractual provisions setting out remedies for non-performance of contractual obligations by contractors but these are enforced only when contract management and disputes resolution procedures have been exhausted.

Fisheries

Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 3 May 2000, Official Report, column 142W, on fisheries, what is the required procedure for maintaining (a) the

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national fisheries quota system based upon the existing relative stability and (b) restrictions upon access within national six and 12 mile limits beyond 2002. [122742]

Mr. Morley: Article 14(2) of Council Regulation 3760/92 requires the Council to decide by 31 December 2002, on the basis of a Commission report to the Council and the European Parliament and in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 43 (now 37) of the Treaty (which requires a qualified majority in favour of a Commission proposal and consultation with the European Parliament):

on the provisions to follow the access restrictions within national six and 12 mile limits which, in accordance with Article 6 of the Regulation, expire on 31 December 2002;

on any necessary adjustments to be made to other provisions of the Regulation, including those concerning the national quota system based on relative stability: if no such adjustments are made, existing arrangements will continue unchanged beyond 2002.

As indicated in my reply to the hon. Member of 3 May, the Government are confident that both these provisions will be retained beyond 2002.

Arable Area Payments Scheme

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of croppable land in Britain is eligible for the arable area payments scheme; and what the figures are for other EU states. [123020]

Mr. Nick Brown: MAFF June census data show the total UK agricultural area in 1999 as 18.6 million hectares. Of this, roughly 35 per cent. meets the equivalent of the 1991 definition used to determine eligibility under the arable area payments scheme. About a further 30 per cent. is shown as grass five or more years old, which would represent the most obviously croppable part of the balance. Taking these two areas together would give a figure of around 55 per cent. as the amount of croppable land which would be eligible. But this can only be a rough approximation, because there is neither an agreed definition of croppable nor an absolute total for eligible land, as eligibility is only assessed when actual claims are made.

We have no figures for land eligible for arable area payments in other member states.

Uninhabitable Dwellings

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the economic impact on farmers of the decision to limit the exemption from council tax on uninhabitable dwellings; and what studies his Department has made of that impact. [122997]

Mr. Nick Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 5 May 2000, Official Report, column 242W.

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Press Officers

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many press officers there were in his Department in (a) May 1997 and (b) May 2000. [122995]

Mr. Nick Brown: The number of press officers in my Department in May 1997 was 10; and in May 2000, there are 10.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Opinion Research

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much the Lord Chancellor's Department spent on opinion research in the financial year 1999-2000 [123253]

Jane Kennedy: The Lord Chancellor's Department spent a total of £224,794 on opinion survey research in the financial year 1999-2000. The figure comprises the costs of 12 items of research, all of which relate to the Department's role as a service provider, to new initiatives such as the Community Legal Service or to areas of policy interest.

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list opinion research projects undertaken on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department in the financial year 1999-2000 itemising (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys and in each case stating when and where the results were published. [123254]

Jane Kennedy: The list of opinion research items undertaken by the Lord Chancellor's Department during the financial year 1999-2000 is as follows. All the research listed relates to Departmental initiatives; areas of policy interest; or client satisfaction research required for Business Plans or Chartermark controls.

LCD Opinion Research Items 1999-2000
Focus Group Research
Two Market Research Projects--Community Legal service
Commissioned through the Central Office of Information in connection with the development and introduction of the Community Legal Service. Both projects--Strategy Development Research; and CLS Quality Mark & Brand Identity evaluation--included focus group research. This research was part of the development of the Community Legal Service and was not published.

Research Project: New Public Management & the Administration of Justice in Magistrates' Courts
Research to describe, analyse and evaluate changes to the Magistrates' Courts Service brought about by the Police and the Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, and the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. It includes six focus group studies of members of Court Users Committees and core user groups. This project is still underway. Consideration about publication will be given on receipt of the final report, which is likely to be in the autumn.

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Quantitative Surveys
Quality of Service (User Reaction) Survey
Survey of customer perceptions using data gathered by way of a questionnaire distributed to Magistrates' Courts users. Processing of the data was completed in-house and the results released in Information Bulletins.
Office for National Statistics Omnibus Module: Legal Problems
The Department included three questions on the extent of civil legal problems, the seriousness of particular types of problems and people's experiences in seeking legal advice in the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Module. It is expected that the results will be published this year. They will be placed in the data archive at the University of Essex.
Customer Service Surveys
The Court Service has carried out local customer satisfaction surveys every two years in Crown Court centres, the Crown Office, the Criminal Appeal Office, county courts and tribunals by the Court Service since 1998. Each survey is undertaken in-house on a local basis with no external costs. The results are published in the public area of the local court.

Juror Satisfaction Pilot Survey
Recently serving jurors have been asked about their level of satisfaction with their treatment in the criminal justice system. The results were used to set a target for this area within the new Criminal Justice System Business Plan.
Other Market Research Surveys
Market Research: Provision of Information Meetings
A study has been completed by KPMG in order to assess potential interest in the private sector in the provision of information meetings under Part II of the Family Law Act 1996. It is not intended that this report will be published.
Research Project: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Commercial Cases
A study has been commissioned to assess the impact of Commercial Court ADR orders on the outcome of cases in which they are made; and the influence of the emphasis of ADR in the Commercial Court on the conduct of commercial litigation. It includes interviews (personal or telephone) with private practice practitioners, in-house lawyers and parties. Publication of the report of the research is expected this year.
Research Project: Factors Affecting the Decision to Apply for Silk and Judicial Office
A study has been commissioned to identify the factors which encourage or deter applicants from under-represented groups to apply for appointment as Queen's Counsel and judicial office. It is based on questionnaires and interviews with applicants and potential applicants. Publication of the report of the research is expected this year.
Research Project: Identifying Thresholds--Arrangements for Contact in the Context of Domestic Violence and Child Welfare Concerns
This research is based on two sets of interviews. The first is with professionals to identify whether and how they draw distinctions between different forms of contact. The second set is with children and adults who have had a range of contact experiences in order to identify their expectations and satisfaction with arrangements. It will also investigate users' views on the way contact provisions could develop. This project is underway and consideration on publication will be given on receipt of final report in 2001.
Research Project: Monitoring the Rise in the Small Claims Limit
A study to provide follow-on information from the earlier research, published in 1997, on the small claims court. This research involves interviews with litigants. The project is underway and consideration on publication will be given on receipt of final report in 2002.

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