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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Public-private Partnerships (Consultants)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the total external spending by the Department was on public private-partnership consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PPP consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement. [43197]
Mr. Wills: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer on 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 714W, which gave information about PFI consultants. The total amount spent on PPP consultants, excluding PFI consultants, over the last four years is as follows:
- 1998—£775.50;
1999—£172,263.54;
2000—£114,081.56; and
2001—£179,593.63.
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implied average cost of each consultant is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Census
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps are being taken to rectify the problems associated with the 1901 on-line census. [50534]
Ms Rosie Winterton: QinetiQ Ltd. is continuing to work on the technical enhancements. These enhancements are intended to make the site sufficiently robust to permit general internet access. The most important consideration is to ensure that the service is relaunched successfully. In the first instance, the service will be reintroduced at the designated service centres throughout the country as part of a rigorous testing process. It will then be relaunched on the internet as soon as practicable thereafter, subject to satisfactory completion of this process.
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans she has to initiate an inquiry into the problems associated with the 1901 on-line census. [50442]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Lord Chancellor's Department officials are working closely with the Public Record Office and other parties involved with the 1901 census and are being kept fully informed of developments. I have no plans to launch an inquiry into the project.
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what criteria were used to evaluate the ability of QinetiQ to deliver the 1901 on-line census. [50537]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following criteria were used to evaluate the ability of QinetiQ to deliver the 1901 on-line census: commercial viability; customer service; innovation; operational impact on the PRO; organisational and cultural fit; risk management; technical feasibility.
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which company was used to measure the capacity and size of system needed to manage the number of visitors to the 1901 on-line census. [50535]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The system sizing was undertaken by QinetiQ Ltd.
Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what evaluation was done to assess the use of the 1901 on-line census; and if rationing of initial access occurred. [50536]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The experience of large family history websites in the United States was investigated in order to chart likely levels and patterns of demand for the 1901 on-line census. In addition, a pilot project was conducted between April and July 2001 when the 1891 census returns for the county of Norfolk were made available over the internet. Rationing of initial access did not occur when the service was launched on 2 January 2002.
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Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what criteria will be used to assess the viability of companies who will be awarded contracts for the 1891 on-line census. [50533]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In the event of a contract being awarded for the 1891 on-line census, the criteria for the award of that contract would be the same as for the contract awarded for the 1901 on-line census.
Land Registry
Mr. McWilliam: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, under what circumstances the Land Registry is permitted to change the registered boundaries of land registered with it in the absence of supporting records or court decisions. [50015]
Mr. Wills: The registered extent of a property can be changed only where it is established that the present registered extent is wrong. If someone believes that there is an error in the registered extent of their property, it is open to them to apply for rectification of the register and title plan under the relevant provisions of the Land Registration Acts and Rules. Any application for rectification must be supported by evidence. If satisfied that there is an arguable case for rectification, the Land Registry will serve notice on interested parties, and may rectify the register or title plan if no objection is received, or if any objection which is received is considered to be groundless. In any other case, the Land Registry can correct an error in the register or title plan only with the consent of all relevant parties, or following a judicial determination by the Court, or by the Solicitor to HM Land Registry. The Court and the Solicitor will order rectification of the register or title plan only if (1) it is established on the evidence that there is an error, and (2) they consider that they should exercise their statutory discretion in favour of rectification.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Mr. Gray: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many contracts the Lord Chancellor's Department has with consultants; what level of professional indemnity insurance is standard in contracts with small consultants; whether he can make exceptions to the level of professional indemnity insurance; and what recent discussions he has had with other Government Departments about the level of professional indemnity insurance. [50840]
Mr. Wills: The Lord Chancellor's Department currently has 67 contracts with consultants.
For the majority of these contracts, professional indemnity insurance is not required.
Where professional indemnity insurance is considered appropriate, eg for construction-related contracts, the nature and value of the contract will determine the level of insurance required, regardless of the size of the consultancy firm.
As with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of discussions that form part of the process of policy development and analysis.
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HEALTH
Smoking
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department has spent on school education on the dangers of tobacco smoking in the last 12 months. [40521]
Yvette Cooper: In 2001–02, the sum of £250,000 has been spent on the development of a series of short films made by young people, with expert assistance. The Department has also commissioned a teaching pack for schools. The short films are designed to encourage discussion of smoking issues. The films have been shown on 'Trouble TV', a youth network with the highest youth profile in the UK. Trouble TV are showing the films free of charge, donating airtime worth approximately £800,000 to the project.
The Healthy Schools programme, to which £7.7 million has been allocated this year, includes smoking prevention in a wide range of educational activity designed to improve children's health.
We recognise that children and young people smoke for different reasons. There is no single cause. That is why we:
- have agreed an Enforcement Protocol with local authorities to strengthen the enforcement of the existing legislation on under-age sales of cigarettes; and
support proof of age card schemes, which protect shopkeepers and children alike.
will introduce tobacco advertising ban.
Myodil
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out into the side effects of myodil. [43495]
Mr. Hutton: Myodil was first marketed in the 1940s and was granted a Product Licence of Right in 1972 after the introduction of the Medicines Act 1968.
Myodil has not been marketed in the UK since 1987, when the manufacturers withdrew the product for commercial reasons. At the time of licensing, published case reports and spontaneous reports received by the company and regulatory agencies led to the inclusion of a warning about the occurrence of post-myelography arachnoiditis in the product information for Myodil.
There have been over 50 publications in the scientific literature relating to Myodil, including human and animal studies. These have included research in to patients who had received myodil to evaluate the risk of arachnoiditis. In general these studies do show an increased risk of arachnoiditis in patients, especially if they had a history of previous spinal surgery or spinal stenosis. When Myodil was used in procedures away from the lumbar spine there did not appear to be an increased risk. A published animal study in 1982 comparing Myodil with another contrast agent also showed an increased risk of
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arachnoiditis. Other studies have evaluated the use of Myodil for diagnostic procedures without looking specifically at safety or long term issues.
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