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Part-time Employees

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many and what proportion of the staff of her Department are part-time employees. [47167]

Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my right hon. friend to the central answer given by the Cabinet Office dated 10 April 2002.

Underspends

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the (a) capital and (b) revenue underspend in her Department is expected to be in the financial year 2001–02. [47806]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Estimated outturn figures for 2001–02 will be published in the Budget report on 17 April.

Performance Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the measurable criteria are for the PSA target to respect the rights of defendants and to treat them fairly; and if he expects the target outturn specified on page 16 of the 2001 departmental report to be met by March. [47231]

Mr. Wills: Our target outturn is to achieve 100 per cent. improvement across a range of measures. An interdepartmental/agency working group has agreed that these targets are:

98 per cent. of prisons by March 2002 to have a Legal Services Officer so as to ensure that all prisoners receive information about legal services on reception and know who can assist them with applications for public funding;


50 per cent. of magistrates courts to have full access to a comprehensive courts-based bail information scheme by March 2002, rising to 80 per cent. by March 2003;


80 per cent. of prisons holding remand prisoners to have a bail information scheme by March 2002, rising to 90 per cent. by March 2003;


90 per cent. of people in police stations requesting the service of a duty solicitor to receive the service within 45 minutes by March 2002.

Information about progress on these targets will be published in the Department's 2002 departmental report.

15 Apr 2002 : Column 755W

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Burns: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many times Ministers in her Department have travelled abroad at taxpayers' expense since March 2001; what countries they visited; and what the total cost of each visit was. [47115]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Since 1999 this Government has published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government has also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. The 1999 list contained information on all such visits undertaken from 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Details for travel undertaken in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published as soon as possible.

Possession Proceedings

Ms Oona King: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of possession proceedings for rent arrears in local authority and RSL accommodation related to tenants who have had their housing benefit reduced as a result of non-dependent deductions in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [48552]

Mr. Wills: Figures concerning possession applications brought by landlords are not collected in the manner of breakdown requested above, nor by reason for application. The figures could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Union Duties

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in each of the last four years. [36196]

Angela Eagle: The Employment Protection Act 1975 gave trade union officials a statutory right to reasonable paid time off from employment to carry out trade union duties. In the Civil Service, since April 1996, Departments and agencies have been given the freedom to set their own levels of facility time and make other facilities available to their trade union accredited representatives.

In accordance with the Departmental Facilities Agreement between the Home Office and recognised trade unions 57 union representatives in the Home Office and its agencies receive up to 100 per cent. paid leave to undertake union duties. A further 66 accredited representatives are allocated 25 days a year to spend on union duties. Related costs in 2001–02 are expected to amount to approximately £3,237,000. Information about costs in previous years is not available.

The Department values the constructive working relationships with the trade unions which provide an efficient means of involving staff at all levels in shaping and delivering our aims.

15 Apr 2002 : Column 756W

Operation Helios

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of the complaints by members of the public in relation to the conduct of officers involved in Operation Helios have been referred voluntarily to the Police Complaints Authority; [39361]

(2) if the Police Complaints Authority has asked for a referral so that it can supervise complaints made against police officers in Operation Helios. [39362]

Mr. Denham: No complaints made against officers involved in Operation Helios have been referred by the Metropolitan police service to the Police Complaints Authority for supervision. The Authority has not formally asked for a referral. However, the Authority has suggested to the Metropolitan police that it might be appropriate for any complaint accepted by the police in relation to this investigation to be referred voluntarily.

European Union Directives

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last four years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each. [39130]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Home Office has implemented two European Community directives during the period specified.

European Community directive 95–46 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data was implemented by the Data Protection Act 1998.


European Community directive 2000–8 on the manufacture and placing on the market of certain substances used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances was implemented by SI 2001 No. 3683.

The Home Office also has responsibility for the following European Community measures which have been formally adopted but which have not required any specific implementation.

Council decision establishing a European Refugee Fund for the financing of projects relating to conditions for reception of displaced persons; integration for recognised refugees and others with stable and lasting forms of international protection; and voluntary repatriation for persons who have applied for asylum or some other form of international protection and been refused. Formally adopted on 28 September 2000.


Council regulation concerning the establishment of "EURODAC" for the comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of the Dublin Convention. Formally adopted on 11 December 2000.


Council decision on the conclusion of an agreement between the European Community and Republic of Iceland and Kingdom of Norway concerning the criteria and mechanisms for establishing the state responsible for examining a request for asylum lodged in a member state or Iceland or Norway. Formally adopted on 15 March 2001.


Council directive on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance between member states in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof. Formally adopted on 20 July 2001.

15 Apr 2002 : Column 757W

Additionally, a number of measures have been adopted by the Council relating to Title IV matters on which the United Kingdom has not exercised its right to opt in to the adoption of the measure. The United Kingdom is therefore not bound by them.

The Home Office does not hold information concerning the cost to public funds of each instrument. This information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost. The costs of the European Refugee Fund come from the Community budget.

Where a proposal is likely to impose significant costs on business, charities or voluntary organisations, a Regulatory Impact Assessment is produced. Copies of these are placed in the Library.

Energy Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last 10 years. [42444]

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Rural Affairs on 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 269W.

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