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Staff Training
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much the Department has spent on staff training and development in each of the last five years. [61061]
Yvette Cooper: The table details the amounts spent on staff training and development for each of the last five years by LCD.
| Year | £ |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 2,253,686 |
| 1998–99 | 3,166,424 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,071,804 |
| 2000–01 | 3,818,095 |
| 2001–02(11) | 3,154,397 |
(11) Provisional
The Department's commitment to the training and development of its staff is demonstrated through our successful achievement of the Investors in People status. LCD received accreditation in 2000 and the Court Service was re-accredited in 2001.
Training is delivered via a range of methods, including job shadowing and mentoring. Formal development activities include professional training, NVQs and the Princes Trust Volunteer Scheme.
Performance Targets
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what has been the (a) cost and (b) saving from the pursuit of the Department's Public Service Agreement targets in each year since they were introduced; [61047]
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- (2) what the (a) cost and (b) saving has been from the Department's pursuit of Service Delivery Agreement targets in each year since they were introduced. [61638]
Yvette Cooper: The Department's Public Service Agreement sets out the key outcomes it is committed to deliver with the resources provided, and its Service Delivery Agreement sets out the key steps towards delivery of those targets. Every year the Department publishes performance against its targets—including on value for money—and the resources it has used, in its Departmental Report.
Magistrates Courts Committees
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to reform magistrates courts committees. [62060]
Yvette Cooper: Sir Robin Auld's Review of the Criminal Courts in England and Wales makes wide- ranging recommendations, including several concerning magistrates courts committees. The period for comment closed on 31 January. The Government are now considering the recommendations in detail, taking account of the comments received. The Government hope to announce their conclusions by way of a White Paper before the summer recess.
Freedom of Information
Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the membership of the Advisory Group dealing with the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [61413]
Yvette Cooper: The Lord Chancellor announced the formation of the Advisory Group on Implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in his statutory report to Parliament in November 2001. Mrs. Elizabeth France, the Information Commissioner, and myself jointly chair the group. The members of the group are:
- Mr. James Leslie MLA: Northern Ireland Executive
Mr. Denis Haughey MLA: Northern Ireland Executive
Ms Alison Sutherland: Local Government Association
Mr. Tim Ricketts: National Association of Local Councils
Deputy Chief Constable Mr. Ian Readhead: Association of Chief Police Officers
Dr. Michael Wilks: British Medical Association
Ms Christine Miles: NHS Confederation
Mr. Michael Malone-Lee: Universities UK
Ms Jane Phillips: National Association of Governors and Managers
Ms Santha Rasaiah: Newspaper Society
Mr. Jonathan Baume: First Division Association
Mr. Maurice Frankel: Director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information
Mrs. Christine Gifford: former Metropolitan police civil servant
Professor Robert Hazell: Director of the Constitution Unit, University College London
Dr. Dilys Jones: former consultant psychiatrist, Department of Health
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Mr. David Henke: The Guardian
Mr. David Reynolds, Director of Investigations at the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
Ms Sarah Tyacke, Keeper of the Public Records
Mr. Alan Cogbill: Director, Civil Justice and Legal Services, Lord Chancellor's Department
Mr. Lee Hughes, Head of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Division, Lord Chancellor's Department
Mr. Graham Smith, Deputy Information Commissioner.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will set out the timetable for the (a) repeal and (b) amendment under section 75 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 of the primary and secondary legislation which contains provisions prohibiting the disclosure of information. [63090]
Yvette Cooper: My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Mr. Wills), made a statement on 30 April 2002, Official Report, columns 699–700, announcing the publication of an interim report detailing the progress made so far in reviewing legislation prohibiting the disclosure of information. A further report is being prepared and will be published at the time of the Lord Chancellor's annual report in November on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the Ministers with responsibility for implementing freedom of information policies. [61411]
Yvette Cooper: Policy responsibility for the Freedom of Information Act rests with the Lord Chancellor and myself. The Lord Chancellor chairs the Cabinet Ministerial Sub-Committee on Freedom of Information and its members are responsible for implementation of the Act in their Departments. The sub-committee's terms of reference are
- "To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's decision to legislate on freedom of information and from legislation on data protection; to oversee implementation of the relevant legislation; and to report as necessary to the Committee on Constitutional Reform Policy".
Crown Court (Buckinghamshire)
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, which locations she is considering for the site of future Crown court buildings in Buckinghamshire. [61560]
Yvette Cooper: The Court Service is currently considering both Aylesbury and Milton Keynes as potential locations for a new Crown court in Buckinghamshire.
Judges
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many representations the Lord Chancellor has received concerning the (a) conduct of judges and (b) operation of the Legal Services Commission since 1997. [62779]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: (a) The principle of judicial independence means that it is not open to the Lord Chancellor or his Department to entertain complaints about judicial decisions. However, as Head of the Judiciary, the Lord Chancellor does consider complaints about the personal conduct of individual judges and other judicial office holders and is able to reprimand or rebuke judges who have behaved inappropriately. In the most extreme cases the Lord Chancellor, with the consent of the Lord Chief Justice, can remove a judge below the level of the High Court from office.
No figures for complaints about judges' conduct are available for the period before August 1998, when the Lord Chancellor established a team of officials dedicated to make thorough inquiries on his behalf into all complaints about judicial conduct. Between August 1998 and 31 May 2002, the Lord Chancellor received 1,351 complaints which appeared to relate to judges' personal conduct. In 1,089 cases the complainant agreed that the Lord Chancellor could investigate the complaint by asking the judge for his or her comments. The Lord Chancellor then considered the complaint and the response, and informed the complainant of the judge's comments and his own conclusion. The great majority of these complaints were from disappointed litigants and were found to be without foundation. However, on 23 occasions, the Lord Chancellor thought it appropriate to rebuke or reprimand the judge concerned in relation to conduct.
(b) The Legal Services Commission was established by the Access to Justice Act 1999, and came into being on 1 April 2000 to replace the Legal Aid Board. Since that date 67 representations have been received (although some of these will relate to the old Legal Aid Board). Of these, 17 were from politicians and 50 from the public.
Overall figures on representations about the two bodies received by the Lord Chancellor's Department are unavailable for 1997. Since 1 January 1998, the Department has received 238 separate representations, relating to either the Legal Aid Board or the Legal Services Commission. Of these, 155 have come from members of the public, with the remaining 83 from MPs and peers.
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