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24 Oct 2002 : Column 448W—continued
SCOTLAND
Consultancies
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list external (a) public relations/communications companies, (b) advertising and marketing companies, (c) management consultancies, (d) accountancy companies, (e) banking firms, (f) individual consultants and (g) other specialist consultancies used by her Department since June 2001; what actions those consultancies/companies have performed within her Department; and what costs have been incurred through use of these consultancies/companies. [74677]
Mrs. Liddell: Since June 2001, my department has employed the following communications and marketing companies.
- Scope Productions
- Glass Page
- Locofoco
- Astron
- Kemistry
- Faulds
These companies were engaged to design and produce public information material of various types for my department's external affairs at an aggregate cost to date of #130,000.
My department has also used one individual consultant to advise on devolution systems in European countries, at a cost of #6,100.
Health
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in the last year for which her Department had responsibility for health in Scotland, what funding was made available to health authorities which include populated islands to recognise and assist in meeting patients' costs of travel for mainland treatment; what assistance was made available by each health authority to patients travelling for treatment; and if she will list the
24 Oct 2002 : Column 449W
health authorities which included populated islands, showing their expenditure per person on those islands on assistance with travel for treatment. [75218]
Mrs. McGuire: This has been a devolved matter since 1 July 1999. Details of expenditure in 1998–99 by each health board on the two patient travelling expenses schemes are as follows:
| Means Tested Scheme | Highlands & Islands Scheme | |
|---|---|---|
| # | # | |
| Argyll & Clyde | 89,068 | 521,744 |
| Ayrshire & Arran | 28,095 | 3,383 |
| Borders | 22,694 | 0 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 72,465 | 0 |
| Fife | 41,450 | 0 |
| Forth Valley | 92,796 | 0 |
| Grampian | 204,636 | 11,388 |
| Greater Glasgow | 260,987 | 0 |
| Highland | 239,430 | 284,599 |
| Lanarkshire | 37,812 | 0 |
| Lothian | 2,629 | 0 |
| Orkney | 952 | 538,420 |
| Shetland | 22,245 | 1,025,582 |
| Tayside | 0 | 0 |
| Western Isles | 16,187 | 992,612 |
Reimbursement made under the Highlands and Islands Scheme includes costs incurred by patients from populated islands travelling to mainland hospitals for treatment.
Health boards which include populated islands are Argyll & Clyde, Ayrshire & Arran, Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles.
Expenditure per person for assistance with travelling expenses is #27.19 in Orkney, #45.52 in Shetland and #35.72 in Western Isles. Separate figures are not available for the populations of the islands in Argyll & Clyde and Ayrshire & Arran.
Energy
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what representations she has made to Ofgem with regards to the proposed changes to the auction system for capacity to the National Transmission System at St. Fergus; [72411]
- (2) what representations she has made to the Minister of Trade and Industry with regards to the proposed changes to the auction system for capacity to the National Transmission System at St. Fergus. [72412]
Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer he received from my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Energy & Construction, on 19 September, Official Report, column 160W.
Expenditure
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was given to the (a) Scotland Office and (b) Scottish Executive in each year since 1997. [73375]
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Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office and the Scottish Executive were established on 1 July 1999. Since that date expenditure by the Scotland Office has been as follows:-
| #m | #m | #m | #m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
| (estimate) | |||
| 4.128 | 6.758 | 6.916 | 7.442 |
The grant paid to the Scottish Executive over the same period was:-
| #m | #m | #m | #m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
| (estimate) | |||
| 9,647.5 | 14,097.1 | 14,989.6 | 16,556 |
Notes:
1. Figures for 1999–2000 are for the period 1 July 1999– 31 March 2000.
2. Scotland Office figures also include expenditure by the Boundary Commission for Scotland.
SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Sentencing
Andrew Turner: To ask the Solicitor-General, what steps she is taking to publicise the public's right to seek review of unduly lenient sentences. [75303]
The Solicitor-General: The Attorney-General or I can refer a case to the Court of Appeal if we regard it as unduly lenient.
The prosecutor at court will, if the sentence is very lenient, advise the victim or relatives that they can ask us to refer.
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
Jim Cunningham: To ask the Solicitor General what role the Crown Prosecution Service has in prosecuting anti-social behaviour orders. [75305]
The Solicitor-General: An Antisocial Behaviour Order is normally obtained by the police or a local authority. The application is made before a magistrate's court, exercising its duties as a civil court, or the County Court.
A breach of an Antisocial Behaviour Order constitutes a criminal offence. The CPS is responsible for the review and prosecution of allegations of breach of ASBOs.
In 2001 there were 85 prosecutions for breaches of ASBOs. Of these, 69 led to a conviction, 9 were dismissed and 7 not separately dealt with. The conviction rate for breaches, taken at its lowest, is thus 81 per cent. (69 out of 85 cases)
Prosecutions
Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Solicitor General if she will make a statement on the proportion of prosecutions abandoned before trial in the last year. [75307]
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The Solicitor-General: During the year ending June 2002, 20 per cent. of all magistrates' courts proceedings handled by the Crown Prosecution Service were abandoned before trial, together with a further 17.4 per cent. of all proceedings in the Crown Court.
These figures include several distinct types of outcome. The magistrates' courts figure comprises of discontinuances; cases in which the defendant agreed to be bound over without a trial taking place; and cases which could not proceed because the defendant could not be traced by the police, or had died, or was found unfit to plead.
The Crown Court figure comprises of cases dropped before a jury was sworn, resulting in a formal verdict of an ordered acquittal; bind overs; and, again, cases which could not proceed because the defendant could not be traced, or had died or been found unfit to plead.
Appeals
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Solicitor General what discussions she has had with the Crown Prosecution Service about circumstances when appeal against sentence would be appropriate. [75308]
The Solicitor-General: I discuss questions of sentencing regularly with the CPS. The Attorney-General and I have the power under sections 35 and 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 to refer sentences passed in the Crown Court for a limited number of serious offences to the Court of Appeal for review, if it appears that the sentence passed is unduly lenient.
Street Crime
Ian Lucas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the role of the Crown Prosecution Service in the Government's street crime initiative. [75301]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service is playing a central role in the street crime initiative. It has developed with the police a Premium Service which provides experienced prosecutors to:
- give the police advice during the investigation to strengthen the case and target resources effectively
- advise on the choice of charge so that it is right first time, and
- working closely with the police after the court process has begun to make sure that the case is in the best possible state by the time that the trail takes place
Particular attention is being paid to the needs street crime victims and witnesses, in particular providing them with the necessary information and support to see them through the judicial process.
TRANSPORT
Aviation
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been set for publishing an Aviation White Paper following the end of the Future Development of Air Transport consultation. [75062]
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Mr. Jamieson: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his Statement to the House in July, we will publish the White Paper next year.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost was of producing The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: A National Consultation Document. [74903]
Mr. Jamieson: The national consultation on The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom produced a suite of seven detailed consultation documents and seven summary documents. The approximate cost of producing these documents is #556,000.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of employing NOP to gauge public opinion on The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: A National Consultation Document. [74905]
Mr. Jamieson: The consultation does not end until 30 November. Until then it is not possible to say how much assistance analysing responses NOP will provide.
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