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Forth Railway Bridge

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 18 April 2000, Official Report, column 475W, what representations he has made to the Rail Regulator to ensure that Railtrack complies with its obligations under the Railways (Safety Cover) Regulations 1994, with particular reference to the Forth railway bridge. [121874]

Dr. Reid: Monitoring of Railtrack PLC's compliance with its railway safety case is carried out by the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate who also considered Railtrack's safety case and any subsequent revisions. The safety case includes a strategy for the maintenance of structures on Railtrack's infrastructure. The Railway Inspectorate hold regular meetings with Railtrack to establish that they are maintaining this strategy robustly for the Forth Rail Bridge and other structures.

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ADVOCATE-GENERAL FOR SCOTLAND

Ministerial Meetings

19. Mr. Clappison: To ask the Advocate-General how many meetings she has held with hon. Members in order to give guidance about the exercise by her of her powers. [121893]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: As I indicated in my response on 18 April 2000 to my hon. Friend the Member for Greenock and Inverclyde (Dr. Godman), Official Report, column 816, I am delighted to meet hon. Members to discuss the Advocate-General's powers. To date, no such meeting has yet taken place, but I look forward to arranging meetings in the near future.

European Convention on Human Rights

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Advocate-General for Scotland, pursuant to her answer of 18 April 2000 to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, North (Mr. Savidge), Official Report, column 476W, if she has visited the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to discuss Scottish experience in applying the European Convention on Human Rights since devolution. [121889]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: I and my officials are regularly in contact with the UK Government Departments, including the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, to discuss matters of common interest, which would include human rights issues.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Public Trust Office

22. Mr. Colman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress on reform of the Public Trust Office. [121898]

Jane Kennedy: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor made a statement on the reform of the Public Trust Office on 11 April. We are presently consulting all interested parties on the programme of reform set out in the document "Making Changes: The Future of the Public Trust Office".

24. Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Public Trust Office executive agency has met its key performance targets for 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [121900]

Jane Kennedy: The Public Trust Office had seven key performance indicators for the 1999-2000 financial year, and it met five of them. These figures are provisional pending National Audit Office audit of the Public Trust Office's accounts.

Mr. Darvill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he will be able to provide the detailed estimated costs to the Lord Chancellor's Department of implementing the recommendations of the Quinquennial Review of the Public Trust Office. [122805]

Jane Kennedy: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor announced his plans for the future of the Public Trust Office on 11 April in a consultative

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document called "Making Changes: The Future of the Public Trust Office". I expect to have detailed estimated costs of implementing the planned changes by the autumn.

Mr. Darvill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the estimated additional cost to those individuals who have their financial affairs managed by the Receivership Division of the Public Trust Office of having their financial affairs managed by accredited panel solicitors. [122802]

Jane Kennedy: The provision of Receivership Division services by solicitors is just one of the options we are considering. There are other potential service providers who have the requisite skills to undertake this work. As the work will be put out to tender the estimated cost is, at present, commercially sensitive information. We will, however, be entering into detailed negotiations with potential service providers to ensure that we secure the best value for money for our clients that we possibly can.

Mr. Darvill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the estimated cost to his Department of implementing the recommendations of the Quinquennial Review in developing supporting information and communications technology for the Public Trust Office, including the additional costs of training and monitoring external providers. [122804]

Jane Kennedy: This is a very early stage of a complex change programme. My officials are currently assessing the various computer and technology options available to us, prior to developing detailed design and implementation plans. As a result, specific costings are not available for the individual elements of the programme. I would anticipate that these will be available by the autumn.

Mr. Darvill: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the estimated cost to his Department of administering the Public Trust Office for the financial years (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01. [122803]

Jane Kennedy: The total, unaudited, cost of running the Public Trust Office in 1999-2000 was £22.2 million. The budgeted cost for 2000-01 is also £22.2 million.

Courthouse, Colchester

26. Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress towards building a new courthouse at Colchester. [121903]

Jane Kennedy: There are no plans to build a new Crown court or county court in Colchester. I cannot say when a new magistrates court will be built there as the accommodation requirements for Essex is a matter for the Magistrate's Courts Committee. The need to improve magistrates courts accommodation in Essex has been accepted by the Lord Chancellor's Department and is in the Private Finance Initiative building programme.

County Court Actions

29. Mr. Cousins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps are being taken to reduce the time taken in bringing action for enforcement of payment to the county courts. [121907]

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Mr. Lock: Since March 1998, we have been engaged in a comprehensive review of the enforcement of all civil court judgments. As part of that review, we will be looking at how to reduce delay in the enforcement process. I anticipate being able to report the conclusions of the review in June.

Rural Magistrates Courts

30. Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the future of rural magistrates courts in Buckinghamshire. [121908]

Jane Kennedy: The Government's policy is that magistrates courts in Buckinghamshire are best managed locally by Thames Valley Magistrates Courts Committee under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. Decisions concerning the future of magistrates courts in their area, whether rural or urban, are for that magistrates courts committee to determine.

Bailiffs

Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the Citizen's Advice Bureaux report "Undue Distress"; if he will review the powers and role of bailiffs; and if he will make a statement. [122820]

Mr. Lock: I am considering the CAB report, which was published on 15 May, and will respond to it in due course. Professor Beatson, of Cambridge University, is currently conducting a review of bailiff law on behalf of the Department and is due to report to us by the end of June 2000. We will look closely at the powers and role of bailiffs in the light of both these reports.

Commissioner for Judicial Appointments

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he plans to appoint the Commissioner for Judicial Appointments; and if he will make a statement. [122808]

Mr. Lock: The Lord Chancellor intends to appoint the First Commissioner for Judicial Appointments this year.

Human Rights Act 1998

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much of the legal aid budget has been earmarked to support cases (a) with a Human Rights Act 1998 element and (b) based on the Human Rights Act 1998; and if he will make a statement. [122809]

Mr. Lock: In the Comprehensive Spending Review in 1998 we estimated that the cost to legal aid of implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 would be of the order of £40 million per annum. However, no separate estimates were made to distinguish costs in cases involving a Human Rights Act element from those exclusively brought under the Act.

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