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Forfeiture
Mr. Lepper: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to publish a draft bill on the reform of forfeiture. [40407]
Mr. Wills: The Law Commission published a draft Termination of Tenancies Bill in 1994. It proposed the abolition of a landlord's right to terminate a tenancy by physical re-entry and by way of a court order for possession. A subsequent Law Commission consultative document reiterated the proposal to abolish all means of forfeiture. It also proposed, in relation to commercial properties only, that either the original proposals stand or that there should be a statutory right in very limited circumstances for a landlord physically to re-enter the property. The majority of responses to the consultation favoured the second option.
The Law Commission expects to publish a revised draft Bill in 2003.
Mr. Lepper: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the scope is of the inquiry into forfeiture being carried out by the Law Commission; and when he expects the Law Commission to publish the results of its inquiry. [40406]
Mr. Wills: The scope of the current work being carried out by the Law Commission is:
- "That an examination be made of the law relating to the termination of tenancies, to facilitate the implementation of the report previously published [Landlord and Tenant Law, Termination of Tenancies Bill, 1994 Law Com No 221], with a view to modernising and simplification of the law in this area".
The Law Commission expects that the result of this work will be published in final form in 2003.
Courts (Northern Ireland)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the size of the annual case load is in each type of court in Northern Ireland; and what her estimate of the annual case load based on the proposals contained in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill is. [39664]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The annual case load for the years 1999 and 2000 for the various tiers of court in Northern Ireland are shown in the tables. The case load figures for the 2001 calendar year are currently being compiled.
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It is not anticipated that the proposals contained in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill will result in significant variation in overall case load size. There will be a redistribution of business as between the magistrates courts and the youth court consequent on the proposal to bring 17-year-olds within the ambit of the youth court. It is estimated that the business of the youth court will increase by some 50 per cent.
However, it is also expected that, as the pre-court restorative justice diversionary conferences provided for come on line, there may be reductions in the numbers of cases appearing before the youth courts. It is not possible to estimate the numbers of such reductions at this time.
| Case Load | |
|---|---|
| Civil applications(43) | 38,664 |
| Criminal defendants(44) | 50,702 |
| Total | 89,366 |
(43) Combines civil applications (33,562) and children order applications (5,102).
(44) Combines criminal defendants (48,777) and youth defendants (1,925).
| Case Load | |
|---|---|
| County courts | |
| Civil business | 45,440 |
| Criminal business | 2,451 |
| Total | 47,891 |
| Crown courts | |
| Civil business | 103 |
| Criminal business | 900 |
| Total | 1,003 |
| High Court | |
| Civil business | 21,045 |
| Criminal business | 53 |
| Total | 21,098 |
| Case Load | |
|---|---|
| Civil applications(45) | 38,604 |
| Criminal defendants(46) | 50,034 |
| Total | 88,638 |
(45) Combines civil applications (33,541) and children order applications (5,063).
(46) Combines criminal defendants (48,042) and youth defendants (1,992).
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Capita Group
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department. [39351]
Mr. Wills: As the question does not specify a time period the Lord Chancellor's Department, incorporating its associated offices and the Court Service, provides information from 1997 onwards:
| Year/contracts | £ |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | |
| Nil | |
| 1998–99 | |
| 2 contracts | 20,377.50 |
| 1999–2000 | |
| 1 contract | 1,151.50 |
| 2000–01 | |
| 5 contracts | 22,985.94 |
| 2001–02(47) | |
| Nil |
(47) To date
The contracts were for the provision of business, management and specialist recruitment consultancy services.
Advertising
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by the Lord Chancellor's Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case. [39089]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is presented in the tables.
My Department conducts publicity and advertising campaigns to raise awareness among the public or legal specialists of new rights and responsibilities due to new legislation, to raise awareness of new services, or to recruit new members of the judiciary or for departmental staff recruitment.
We do not record the number of staff involved in any individual piece of work.
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