You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

International Legal Services

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the impact of EU enlargement on international legal services. [33355]

Mr. Wills: The UK is committed to working for further opening up of the market in international legal services, which generate significant sums of foreign earnings. This aim will be furthered by enlargement of the EU, where the free movement and practice of lawyers is guaranteed.

Reporting Procedures

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what reporting procedures exist between the Law Commission and his office. [33340]

Mr. Wills: The Law Commission submits an annual report on the Law Commission's work to the Lord Chancellor who then lays it before Parliament. The Lord Chancellor's Director General of Policy Group has line management responsibilities for the Secretary of the Law Commission and reports on his or her performance annually.

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what reporting procedures exist between the Council on Tribunals and her office. [33290]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Council on Tribunals makes an annual report to the Lord Chancellor, the Scottish Ministers and the National Assembly for Wales, which is laid before Parliament.

Community Legal Service

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what additional training is made available to paralegal staff in the Community Legal Service. [33301]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Legal Services Commission funds a number of initiatives to support additional training for both lawyers and paralegals. This includes training to cover issues in relation to the CLS Quality Mark as well as support for training in specific categories of law, such as that provided through the expansion package aimed at increasing the number of trained immigration and asylum law advisers. The Partnership Innovation Budget is also being used to support a range of training initiatives, and this was a key feature of a number of the successful bids announced last September.

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many reports or submissions the Community Legal Service have produced since it was first established; and if she will list them. [33292]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

The Community Legal Service does not of itself produce reports and submissions. However, the Legal Services Commission, which has a statutory responsibility to establish, maintain and develop the Community

7 Feb 2002 : Column 1131W

Legal Service, the Lord Chancellor's Department, and Community Legal Service Partnerships, have all produced a range of publications since the launch of the Community Legal Service in April 2000. These cover a range of subject areas, such as the Community Legal Service Quality Mark and Partnership Innovation Budget, but also extend to include individual strategic plans published by Community Legal Service Partnerships.

Legal Services Commission

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who (a) sits on and (b) appoints members of the Legal Services Commission; and what criteria are used to select those who sit on it. [32565]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Legal Services Commission has a chair and 10 members, appointed by the Lord Chancellor. Eight members are non-executives, who work for a number of days a year, and two are executives, senior members of the Legal Services Commission's staff. The current Chair is Peter G. Birch, CBE and the non-executive members are Anthony Edwards, Philip Ely, Juliet Herzog, Sheila Hewitt, Yvonne Mosquito, Richard Penn, Margaret Richards and Jim Shearer. The two executive members are Steve Orchard, CBE (Chief Executive) and Brian Harvey (Director of Resources and Supplier Development).

Section 1 (5) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 requires the Lord Chancellor in appointing to have regard to the desirability of Commission members having between them experience and knowledge of: (a) the provision of services which the Commission can fund as part of the Community Legal Service or Criminal Defence Service; (b) the work of the courts; (c) consumer affairs; (d) social conditions; and (e) management. Further essential criteria set out in the information pack sent to people responding to public advertisements for the non-executive posts are: (a) ability to make a significant contribution at both strategic and policy levels; (b) potential to rise to the challenges that will be faced by the new Commission and to commit to an organisation driving through significant change; (c) sensitivity to the political and social policy issues facing the Commission and to the needs of the legal end users: (d) breadth of experience, vision and interest; (e) excellent communication skills; (f) a willingness to work with others to develop consensus, including working with sub-groups; (g) the ability to command respect and influence as an individual; (h) an understanding of the nature of working within the public sector; and (i) an understanding of the need to maintain high standards of probity, integrity and discretion.

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many reports or submissions the Legal Services Commission has produced since it was first established; and if she will list them. [33293]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Legal Services Commission produced 70 reports and consultation papers between its inception in April 2000 and 30 November 2001. Details are set out as follows in their order of publication:



7 Feb 2002 : Column 1132W











































7 Feb 2002 : Column 1133W



























Next Section Index Home Page