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Sick Leave

Mr. Heald: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many days of sick leave were taken in her Department last year; how many related to employees suffering (a) stress and (b) other mental health problems; and what the cost was to her Department. [56477]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The most recently published annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" records the number of working days lost through sickness absence in the Lord Chancellor's Department as 10 working days per staff year for the calendar year 2000.

A recent analysis of sick absence by type indicates that around 23 per cent. of all sick absence in the Department is due to stress, depression or anxiety-related illnesses. We are unable accurately to cost this figure.

The Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively. A great deal of work has been undertaken to raise awareness of our Service Delivery Agreement targets, of the need to manage attendance in accordance with best practice policies, and to reduce absence due to work related injuries and illness in line with the Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative.

Jury Central Summoning Bureau

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department for what reason the Jury Central Summoning Bureau in Pocock Street SE1 is using last year's electoral roll for Thurrock when selecting jurors; what year's electoral rolls are being used for these purposes in respect of other local authority areas; and if he will make a statement. [58336]

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Mr. Wills: Last year's electoral rolls are being used for summoning jurors in all areas of England and Wales.

Current data from local authorities is still being received, checked and collated before entry on to the system. This will begin, for those areas where data sets are complete, in the near future although specific dates have yet to be arranged.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the cause and extent of delay in the despatch of summons following their issue by the summoning officer at the Jury Central Summoning Bureau based at Pocock Street, London; and if he will make a statement. [58337]

Mr. Wills: Summonses are sent by electronic transfer from the Bureau to a print centre for despatch by second class post within 2 working days of generation.

Confusion has arisen because summonses were endorsed with the date on which they were generated rather than the date on which they were despatched. The anticipated date of despatch, 2 days after generation, has been endorsed on summonses since 7 May to overcome this.

Land Charges Registers

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what duties are placed on local authorities with regard to maintaining their land charges register. [57701]

Mr. Wills: The duties of local authorities in relation to the maintenance of their local land charges register are set out in the Local Land Charges Act 1975 and the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidelines he has issued to local authorities with regard to levels of payment due for public access to local authority land charges registers. [57702]

Mr. Wills: No guidelines have been issued with regard to levels of payment due for public access to local land charges registers.

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what statutory provision governs access to local authority land charges registers. [57700]

Mr. Wills: Access to the local land charges register is governed by the Local Land Charges Act 1975 and the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what analysis he has made of local authorities' charges for access to their land records and their opening of their records for public inspection; and if he will make a statement. [58109]

Mr. Wills: None. Charges for access to the register of local land charges are prescribed by the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985). These charges were last revised in 1998 (SI 1998 No. 1190). Records open to public inspection and held by local authorities may be inspected free of charge. These records include the planning register and the register of enforcement notices, stop notices and breach of condition notices

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(Town and Country Planning Act 1990, ss 69 and 188). Other records open to public inspection relating to land include maps of public sewers, publicly adopted highways, and public rights of way (Water Industry Act 1991, ss 199 and 200; Highways Act 1980 s 36(7); and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, s 57(5) respectively). A local authority must behave reasonably in fulfilling its duty to allow access to public records. If reasonable access is denied the matter may be referred to the courts or the local government ombudsman. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 will improve the rights of individuals to have access to information, and provide a right to complain to the Information Commissioner if access is prevented. The Act is expected to come into force in relation to information held by local government on 1 January 2005.

Legal Searches

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the statutory requirement is for provision of public access to local authority information as found on the forms (a) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (b) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search. [57706]

Mr. Wills: Some of the information contained in answers to questions in CON 29 is available from public records that are held by local authorities. Local authorities are under a statutory duty to allow public inspection, free of charge, to these records. In the case of the planning register, for example, sections 69, 188 and 214 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 require local authorities to make the register available for inspection by the public "at all reasonable hours". The statutory requirement for the provisions of public access to the register of local land charges is set out in the Local Land Charges Act 1975 and the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidelines he has issued to local authorities with regard to charging for searches based on the forms (a) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (b) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search. [57704]

Mr. Wills: The Local Authorities (Charges for Land Searches) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No. 1885) give local authorities the power to charge for CON 29 inquiries. The regulations provide that these charges are at the local authority's discretion "but should have regard to its costs in dealing with inquiries". Fees for searches of a local charges register are prescribed by the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to amend (a) the forms (i) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (ii) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search and (b) the regulations and guidelines associated with them; and if he will make a statement. [57707]

Mr. Wills: CON 29 is not a statutory form. The Local Government Association and The Law Society have recently revised CON 29. The new version will be brought into use on 1 July 2002. I have lodged a copy of the draft of the revised form in the Library of the House of Commons.

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Form LLC 1 'Register of Local Land Charges Requisition for Search and Official Certificate of Search' is a prescribed form (see Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985)). The Government have no plans to amend it or the regulations relating to it.

Mrs. May: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the required contents are of forms (a) CON 29, Inquiries of Local Authorities and (b) LLC1, Requisition and Certificate of Search; and what their status is. [57703]

Mr. Wills: CON 29 is not a statutory form and is not subject to any statutory requirements as to content. The contents are agreed between local authorities and The Law Society. I have lodged a copy of the current form CON 29 in the Library of the House of Commons. The contents of form LLC1 (Register of Local Land Charges, Requisition for Search and Official Certificate of Search) are prescribed by the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 (SI 1977 No. 985).

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Unpaid Advisers

Mr. Beith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer of 26 March, Official Report, column 828W, what the (a) names and (b) responsibilities are of unpaid advisers who have assisted the work of his Department since June 1997 but are not included in the Cabinet Office's annual report "Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews 2000–01". [57039]

Mr. Leslie: As my answer to the right hon. Gentleman of 26 March made clear, Ministers in this Department have not appointed any unpaid advisers other than those accounted for in the list of task forces, reviews and other ad hoc advisory groups.

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