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Public Trustee Office
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many trusteeships the Public Trustee Office holds; and under what categories. [33296]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Public Trustee holds 1,472 trusteeships divided into the following categories:
- Executorships with continuing Trusts—647
Will Trusts—265
Settlement Trusts—445
Statutory Trusts—17
Supreme Court Declarations of Trust—44
Declarations of Trust—45
Custodian Trusts—5
Miscellaneous Trusts—4.
Family Court Casework
Matthew Green: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans she has to ensure that magistrates courts continue to carry out the function of family courts. [32999]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are considering the future work of the magistrates courts, including family work, in the light of the recommendations in Sir Robin Auld's Report of his Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales. The Government will announce their conclusions on the report by way of a White Paper in the spring.
Departmental Retirement Ages
Mr. Webb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the retirement ages that apply to the employees of the Lord Chancellor's Department and its agencies, including how many and which categories of employees are affected by each; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on flexible retirement. [32819]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The normal retirement ages for the Lord Chancellor's Department and its executive agencies are as follows.
6 Feb 2002 : Column 1029W
| Retirement age | |
|---|---|
| HEO equivalent and above(22) | 60 |
| EO equivalent | 62 |
| AO equivalent and below | 65 |
(22) Including Senior Civil Service
However, staff can stay on above the normal retirement ages at management discretion, subject to business needs.
The table shows the numbers of staff affected.
| Age of retirement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business area | 65 | 62 | 60 | Grand total |
| Court service | 6,774 | 2,083 | 1,591 | 10,448 |
| LCD HQ | 248 | 263 | 759 | 1,270 |
| Public G'ship Office | 165 | 50 | 107 | 322 |
| Grand total | 7,187 | 2,396 | 2,457 | 12,040 |
Our Corporate Board will shortly be considering proposals to create greater flexibility in our retirement policy, in line with the recommendations set out in the Performance and Innovation report entitled "Winning the Generation Game". The new retirement policy will allow the retention of staff who are performing to the required
6 Feb 2002 : Column 1030W
standard who want to stay beyond 60; have the flexibility to keep staff on for key posts and open up choices for staff about the ages at which they may retire.
Private Medical Insurance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many employees in (a) her Department and (b) her Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies have had private medical insurance provided for them in each year since 1997–98; what the total cost is; and if she will make a statement. [32323]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In accordance with paragraph 7.17 of the Civil Service Management Code, the Lord Chancellor's Department, including its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, does not provide private medical insurance to any of its staff.
Legal Services Ombudsman
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases the Legal Services Ombudsman has (a) found in favour of, (b) declined to investigate and (c) rejected after investigation in each year since his office was established. [32579]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is provided in the table.
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reports issued by the LSO containing recommendations/orders/ criticisms(23) | 54 | 226 | 241 | 260 | 260 | 399 | 464 | 542 | 557 | 659 |
| Number of complaints which the LSO has declined to investigate(24) | 122 | 106 | 107 | 157 | 135 | 156 | 117 | 157 | 107 | 77 |
| Number of cases where the LSO was satisfied with the professional body's investigation | 116 | 535 | 339 | 579 | 781 | 989 | 1,055 | 1,116 | 965 | 1,019 |
(23) Reports may contain more than one recommendation
(24) Figures relate to complaints received where the professional body has completed its investigation
HEALTH
Private Health Care
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how (a) the extra accident and emergency nurses and (b) the elective operations to be placed in the private sector will be distributed, broken down by health authority. [10927]
Mr. Hutton: We have set out a strategy for reducing long waits in accident and emergency departments. £40 million of a £118 million investment will be used to fund an additional 600 or more nursing posts in accident and emergency. Allocations for each accident and emergency department, of the distribution by health authority are set out in the table.
6 Feb 2002 : Column 1031W
£40 million has been allocated to buy additional elective cases in the private sector this year. It has been targeted on those health authorities most in need of short term support.
The funding will be used to free up NHS capacity but the exact number of cases purchased is not yet known. This will depend on the final details of contracts negotiated with the private sector. We will make the final
6 Feb 2002 : Column 1032W
figures available after the end of the financial year. However, the allocations by health authority are shown in the table.
| Health authority | £000 |
|---|---|
| Avon | 2,650 |
| Barking and Havering | 534 |
| Barnet, Enfield and Haringey | 989 |
| Bedford | 669 |
| Berkshire | 235 |
| Birmingham | 1,607 |
| Brent and Harrow | 586 |
| Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich | 577 |
| Buckinghamshire | 1,150 |
| Calderdale and Kirklees | 310 |
| Cambridge | 460 |
| Camden and Islington | 424 |
| Coventry | 300 |
| Croydon | 197 |
| Dudley | 320 |
| Durham and Darlington | 285 |
| East London and City | 245 |
| Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow | 850 |
| East Kent | 1,590 |
| East Surrey | 488 |
| East Sussex, Brighton and Hove | 1,245 |
| Herefordshire | 144 |
| Hertfordshire | 600 |
| Hillingdon | 282 |
| Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, South East Hampshire | 816 |
| Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster | 894 |
| Kingston and Richmond | 207 |
| Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham | 1,010 |
| Leeds | 500 |
| Leicestershire | 219 |
| Lincolnshire | 420 |
| Liverpool | 2,040 |
| Manchester | 1,958 |
| Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth | 604 |
| Morecambe Bay | 400 |
| Newcastle and North Tyne | 500 |
| Norfolk | 265 |
| North and Mid Hampshire | 438 |
| North Cheshire | 525 |
| North Cumbria | 228 |
| North Derbyshire | 150 |
| North Essex | 562 |
| North Staffordshire | 1,516 |
| North Yorkshire | 350 |
| Northamptonshire | 74 |
| Nottingham | 800 |
| Oxfordshire | 1,425 |
| Redbridge and Waltham Forest | 520 |
| Salford and Trafford | 300 |
| Sheffield | 882 |
| Shropshire | 42 |
| Solihull | 50 |
| South and West Devon | 250 |
| South Cheshire | 270 |
| South Essex | 573 |
| South Humber | 90 |
| South Staffordshire | 460 |
| Southampton and South West Hampshire | 672 |
| Suffolk | 164 |
| Tees | 261 |
| Wakefield | 300 |
| Walsall | 250 |
| Warwickshire | 180 |
| West Kent | 372 |
| West Surrey | 1,470 |
| West Sussex | 579 |
| Wirral | 300 |
| Worcestershire | 1,200 |
6 Feb 2002 : Column 1033W
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of NHS patients treated privately by allowing consenting patients to contribute a part of the cost; and if he will make a statement. [33532]
Mr. Hutton: There are no plans to increase the number of national health service patients treated privately by allowing consenting patients to contribute a part of the cost of treatment.
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