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Legal Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what legal costs have been incurred by his Department in each of the last four years. [34289]

Mr. Robin Cook: My Department has incurred no legal costs during the period mentioned.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Marriage and Relationship Support

Mr. Caton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what grants she will make towards marriage and relationship support in the financial year 2002–03. [41698]

Ms Rosie Winterton: During the next financial year (2002–03), the Lord Chancellor's Department will spend £5 million on marriage and relationship support, an increase of £0.5 million on the funding for the financial year 2001–02.

This is the first financial year in which the marriage and relationship support fund has been allocated using the new grant programme launched in September 2001. The new programme introduced openly published criteria, which have been used to evaluate all applications received for this round of allocations. The aim of the Department is that the marriage and relationship support grant should be targeted on improving existing service delivery, as well as developing research, innovative projects, and the

6 Mar 2002 : Column 405W

dissemination of better links and good practice among a wider and more diverse range of service providers than in previous years.

The funding has been allocated as set out in the tables:

Core fundingFunding allocated (£)
Parentline Plus62,000
Relate2,104,000
Marriage Care300,000
Family Welfare Association30,000
One Plus One242,000
London Marriage Guidance Council103,000
Tavistock Marital Studies Institute464,000
Jewish Marriage Council44,000
Asian Family Counselling Service50,000
2as 1150,000
Totnes Family Partnership58,000
Somerset Family Partnership50,000
Family Matters York50,000
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation48,000
Muslim Women's Helpline20,000
The Salvation Arm40,000
Aquila Care Trust88,000
Project for Advocacy, Counselling and Education46,000
Basic For Life34,000
The Cogwheel Trust4,000
Poole Community Family Trust50,000
CFP Guildford40,000
Bristol Community Family Trust50,000
Total4,139,000

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Research and development funding Project titleAmount allocated (£)
University of Exeter, School of PsychologyMoney management and marital commitment in new couples: An evaluation of the efficacy of the FOCCUS inventory43,000
RelateAccessibility (follow-on bid)32,000
RelateDomestic Violence (follow-on bid)40,000
Care for the FamilyAsian Family Matters19,000
RelateQuality Assurance (follow-on bid)30,000
2as 1Development and Adaptation of Relate Training Material66,000
London Marriage Guidance CouncilCommunity Development71,000
The Minster CentreAracas Project (domestic violence)72,000
Tavistock Marital Studies InstituteBrief Psychotherapy32,000
2as 1Partnership project (Relate)—Awareness campaign to promote MARS to the Black African and Afro-Caribbean communities120,000
Sussex Family Mediation Service One Stop Shop26,000
The Church of EnglandMarriage Preparation and Support in the South East54,000
Brook in BirminghamCounselling for Young Couples39,000
Marriage CareEmotional Literacy: Foundations for a Good Life: Phase 230,000
The Richmond CentreVideos are Valuable38,000
One Plus OneInvestigation of Use and Value of Helpline Services39,000
One Plus OneInvestigation of Relationship Support46,000
Jewish Marriage CouncilStarting Marriage on the Right Foot40,000
Talking Matters(15)Infrastructure for Marriage Preparation in the Orthodox Jewish Community24,000
Total861,000

(15) Moved from core to R&D


Rail Journeys (Staff)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if she will make it her policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in her Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets. [40434]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Paragraph 8.2.1 of the Civil Service Management Code requires Departments and agencies to ensure that staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities. In the headquarters of the Lord Chancellor's Department (including associated offices), the Court Service and the Public Guardianship Office, staff at or above the equivalent of senior executive officer level who travel on official business by train may travel first class. Staff at more junior levels may also do so if there is a business need for them to accompany staff who are permitted to travel first class. There are no present plans to change this policy.

Magistrates Pilot (Bristol)

Jean Corston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will make a statement on the success of the scheme run in conjunction with Operation Black Vote and piloted in Bristol, East which enables members of the ethnic minority community to spend time shadowing magistrates on the Bristol and Northavon circuit. [40351]

Mr. Wills: Bristol is one of seven areas piloting the magistrates shadowing scheme that my Department is running in conjunction with Operation Black Vote. The other areas are Birmingham, Bradford, Cardiff, Inner London, Middlesex and Oldham. It is a little too soon for me to be able to make a general statement on the success of the scheme. A full evaluation of the pilots is due to take place in the summer once all the pilots have been completed. The Lord Chancellor and I have been struck by the enthusiasm of the participants in Bristol and other pilot areas. I hope that participants will go out into their communities and explain and promote the role of magistrates, and so encourage more people from ethnic communities to put themselves forward for appointment.

Court Closures

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which magistrates courts have closed since 1 May 1997. [39376]

6 Mar 2002 : Column 407W

Mr. Wills: The courthouses that have closed since 1 May 1997 are listed in the table.

Magistrates courts committees are not statutorily required to inform the Lord Chancellor's Department of proposed courthouse closures which are not subject to an appeal by its paying authority or authorities.

It is the Government's policy that decisions concerning the number, location and future of magistrates courts are for each magistrates courts committee to determine, in consultation with its local paying authority or authorities.

Magistrates courthouseClosure date
Bromsgrove31 May 1997
Ledbury31 May 1997
Hebburn5 June 1997
South Shields (Kepple street)5 June 1997
Bargoed30 June 1997
Chippenham (Market place)30 June 1997
Monmouth30 June 1997
Pontlottyn30 June 1997
Pontypool30 June 1997
Ashton under Lyne (Manchester road)31 August 1997
Duckinsfield31 August 1997
Thorne31 August 1997
Braintree31 December 1997
Clacton on Sea31 December 1997
Saffron Walden31 December 1997
Stokesley31 December 1997
Malton6 February 1998
Appleby31 March 1998
Bishop's Stortford31 March 1998
Chertsey31 March 1998
Farnham31 March 1998
Hatfield31 March 1998
Hitchin31 March 1998
Market Rasen31 March 1998
Marlborough street31 March 1998
Oxted31 March 1998
Lutterworth31 July 1998
Ripon1 August 1998
Barnard Castle31 December 1998
Clerkenwell31 December 1998
Corwen31 December 1998
Diss31 December 1998
Felixstowe31 December 1998
Haverhill31 December 1998
Lytham31 December 1998
Newmarket31 December 1998
Saxmundham31 December 1998
Sheerness31 December 1998
Stowmarket31 December 1998
West Malling31 December 1998
Abingdon31 March 1999
Christchurch31 March 1999
Henley on Thames31 March 1999
Morley31 March 1999
Pudsey31 March 1999
Windsor31 March 1999
Stow on the Wold30 June 1999
March 31 December 1999
Ampthill1 January 2000
Biggleswade1 January 2000
Dunstable1 January 2000
Leighton Buzzard1 January 2000
Lichfield31 March 2000
Keighley1 April 2000
Keswick30 April 2000
Appleby31 May 2000
Windermere31 May 2000
Wigton31 May 2000
Gravesend9 June 2000
Wootton Bassett2 October 2000
Abergele31 December 2000
Alfreton1 January 2001
Ashbourne1 January 2001
Bakewell1 January 2001
Matlock1 January 2001
Leigh31 March 2001
Middleton31 March 2001
Leek31 March 2001
Worcester31 March 2001
Macclesfield Park Green1 April 2001
Warrington Patten Hall1 April 2001
Bideford30 April 2001
Exmouth30 April 2001
Kingsbridge30 April 2001
South Molton30 April 2001
Teignmouth30 April 2001
Tavistock30 April 2001
Axminster4 May 2001
Tiverton4 May 2001
Newquay30 June 2001
Womborne31 August 2001
Southampton (Commercial road)31 August 2001
Gillingham30 September 2001
Bridlington9 November 2001
Brough9 November 2001
Driffield 9 November 2001
Hull (Guildhall)9 November 2001
Hull (Lowgate)9 November 2001
Pocklington0 November 2001
Withernsea9 November 2001

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