---

CABINET OFFICE

Drugs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recommendations she has made about developing drug detoxification strategies at regional level. [142068]

Mr. Ian McCartney: As a result of the Government's forward expenditure plans spending on treatment services, including those providing detoxification, will rise from £234 million this year to £401 million in 2003-04. The National Treatment Agency, which will be established from April 2001, will be responsible for a pooled budget to expand drug treatment provision and for ensuring the delivery of high quality services across the country. It will ensure that those requiring treatment are able to access services regardless of their route of referral.

The Government are committed to reducing long waiting times for drug treatment services and to bringing the standards of all up to the standards of the best.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Girls in Sport

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what targets he has for increasing participation of girls in sport. [142058]

Kate Hoey: My Department's Public Service Agreement includes a target to raise significantly, year on year, the average time spent on sport and physical activity of all those aged six to 16. Sport England has agreed to include in its Funding Agreement with the Department a target to increase women's regular participation in sport from 24 per cent. in 1996 to 30 per cent. in 2002.

13 Dec 2000 : Column: 165W

Conference League Football Clubs

Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance his Department (a) has given to Conference League football clubs to establish youth development programmes and (b) plans to give to Conference League football clubs to establish full-time youth academies. [141950]

Kate Hoey: Nationwide clubs are eligible to apply to the Football Foundation for funding for community/ education initiatives and grass roots projects which may benefit the wider community.

I have met with the Nationwide Conference to discuss this issue and fully support their wish to establish youth development programmes and youth academies.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Judges (Car Hire)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give a breakdown of the costs of car hire for each of the last three years for each judges' lodgings; and if he will make a statement. [142112]

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is contained in the table.

Cost of car hire

				£
No.	Lodgings name	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
1	Birmingham	49,973	47,597	50,641
2	Bristol	37,230	36,952	32,632
3	Caernarfon	4,350	1,689	1,468
4	Cardiff	35,385	32,642	33,151
5	Carlisle	8,128	4,058	7,545
6	Chelmsford	2,013	774	2,474
7	Chester	22,373	20,587	23,249
8	Exeter	10,521	12,245	6,436
9	Leeds	37,870	30,806	40,208
10	Leicester	7,720	3,820	4,468
11	Lewes	13,417	21,360	12,037
12	Lincoln	4,890	4,755	3,467
13	Liverpool	26,747	34,774	38,430
14	Maidstone	14,111	13,141	9,420
15	Manchester	52,134	45,762	43,110
16	Mold	607	779	635
17	Northampton	1,687	3,320	2,300
18	Norwich	8,636	8,358	4,515
19	Nottingham	31,288	42,776	33,860
20	Oxford	3,518	7,864	5,305
21	Plawsworth	37,093	29,821	41,644
22	Plymouth	2,505	1,269	1,989
23	Preston	30,886	25,333	24,561
24	Reading	16,939	15,738	17,295
25	Sheffield	26,382	23,374	21,292
26	St. Albans	13,882	14,109	20,729
27	Stafford	3,385	6,266	22,469
28	Swansea	17,646	12,645	22,605
29	Truro	1,930	2,304	4,005
30	Warwick	194	264	860
31	Winchester	22,023	18,993	20,849
32	Winchester	4,922	2,902	3,417
Total		550,385	527,077	557,066

13 Dec 2000 : Column: 166W

Divorce (Religious Marriages) Bill

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to reintroduce the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Bill; and if he will make a statement. [141330]

Jane Kennedy: The Government have no plans to introduce such a Bill at present.

Royal Records

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to release the remaining records relating to King Edward VIII. [141634]

Mr. Lock: The public records relating to King Edward VIII that have not been released are closed for up to 100 years but this closure period is kept under constant review.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to decrease the length of time royal records remain closed to the public. [141635]

Mr. Lock: The Open Government White Paper (July 1993), under which access to public records relating to the royal family is determined, provides that such records are treated in the same way as all other records and only closed for longer than 30 years if they fall into one of the three criteria governing closure (Para. 9.2). Guidance on the length of time that royal records remain closed to the public is under review in the light of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Legal Aid

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the procedures for challenging abuse of public funds through the maladministration of legal aid. [141641]

Mr. Lock: If a litigant believes that their opponent should not have been granted public funding, they can make representations to the Legal Services Commission. If the Commission agrees that, in the light of new information, the case no longer meets the qualifying criteria, it will move to discharge or revoke the certificate. The funded client has an opportunity to argue against the withdrawal of funding, and a formal right of appeal, after which the Commission's decision is final.

If, after this, the unassisted party still believes that funding should not have been granted and that the Commission's decision was wrong, they can make a complaint to the Commission and ask for compensation. They can also (as with all public bodies) ask their MP to refer a complaint to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. If the Commission or the Parliamentary Commissioner finds that there was maladministration, the Commission will offer compensation for any losses that are attributable to it.

Auld Report

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects Lord Justice Auld to submit his report on the criminal justice system. [141953]

13 Dec 2000 : Column: 167W

Jane Kennedy: Lord Justice Auld is now drafting his final conclusions and hopes to bring the Review to a conclusion early in the new year.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Pre-1983 Maps

Mr. Beith: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food where his Department's pre-1983 maps of less favoured areas are held; and if they are accessible for examination by members of the public. [141303]

Mr. Morley: Prior to 1983, less-favoured areas were designated as those areas falling within or partly within the parishes listed in the annexe to Council Directive 75/268/EEC, as amended by Commission Decisions 76/685/EEC and 82/656/EEC. Copies of European legislation are available from local libraries.

Seals

Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence his Department has procured on the possible correlation between seal populations and the decline in fish stocks. [142123]

Mr. Morley: Previous research funded by this Department and undertaken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit indicates that the bulk of seals' diet consists of juvenile fish. Given the high rates of natural mortality for these species, there is no evidence to indicate that seals are having a significant impact on particular stocks or the catches available to commercial fishermen.

However, in view of renewed concerns, I have asked the SMRU to update this research. They are currently undertaking a project ending in September 2003, which focuses on grey seal diet in the North Sea. In addition, the Department is supporting a project to develop a computer model that will predict the impact of grey seals on fish stocks in the future. This work has just entered its final phase: results are expected in October 2002.

---