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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 12 February 2003

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Broadband Access (Courts)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what proportion of (a) magistrates' and (b) other courts have broadband access; and what targets have been set for full broadband access in each case. [95742]

Yvette Cooper: For (a) magistrates' courts in England and Wales, a high band width, wide area network has been rolled out to nearly 90 per cent. of staff. This roll-out is scheduled to be completed by April 2003, with the exception of one court that is awaiting the completion of a building project. In (b) the Crown Court in England and Wales, 5 per cent. of our court staff currently have access to a high band width, wide area network. We plan to extend such access to all Crown Court staff by April 2006. We are currently considering plans for extending access to the county courts of England and Wales.

Magistrates Courts

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, how many appeals against closure of magistrates' courts have been dealt with by the Department since 1997; how many were (a) refused and (b) allowed; and if she will make a statement. [95473]

Yvette Cooper: The number of appeals on Courthouse closures given to me by my officials is as follows. Since 1996, the Lord Chancellor's Department has received 83 appeals from paying authorities, against determinations made by Magistrates' Courts Committees to close Magistrate's Courts. Details are shown in the table.

YearAppeals DecidedAllowedDismissed
1996505
199717215
199826125
1999918
200011110
200112012
2002202
2003101

PRIVY COUNCIL

Lord Chancellor (Pension Arrangements)

Norman Baker: To ask the President of the Council if the Lord Chancellor will make it his policy to end the arrangement whereby holders of his office receive

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pension arrangements which exceed the ceiling for tax relief proposed in the Government's Green Paper on pensions [96410]

Mr. Robin Cook: The Government is still consulting on its proposals in the recent pensions green paper and associated paper on tax simplification.

E-mail Addresses

Mr. Yeo: To ask the President of the Council by what e-mail address members of the public may contact him; and for each e-mail address if he will state (a) the date it became active and (b) the number of e-mails received in each month since activation [97466]

Mr. Robin Cook: The public may contact me on the following email address: president@pco.x.gsi.gov.uk. Details of how to contact me and Ben Bradshaw are available on the Department's website: www.pco.gov.uk

This email address has been active since 16 October 2000.

The department does not record information on the number of emails received into this account.

Online Sales/Purchaes

Mr. Yeo: To ask the President of the Council what (a) products, (b) goods and (c) services were bought online by his Department in each of the last five years. [97467]

Mr. Robin Cook: My Department buys most of its stationery online. Training courses, hotel accommodation and air tickets have on occasion been purchased online in the last five years.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the publication of updated consultation documents for the South East on the future development of air transport in the UK; when this consultation period will end; when a White Paper is expected to be published; and what legislation he expects to emerge following its publication. [96883]

Mr. Jamieson: We plan to issue a revised consultation document for the South East, including possible Gatwick options, later this month. The current consultation period throughout the UK will run for a further four months from the date of issue. We expect to announce our conclusions, and any decisions on legislative measures, in a White Paper towards the end of the year.

Car Parking Spaces

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many car parking spaces were provided for (a) himself, (b) Ministers of State, (c) Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, (d) Special Advisers, (e) departmental officials and (f) contractors in each year since 1997. [95291]

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Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 19 November 2002, to the Hon Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope) Official Report, column 50W. There are four parking spaces for Ministers' official cars. No spaces are allocated for special advisers or specifically for contractors.

Consultants

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department and its predecessors spent on consultants in each year from 1997. [94235]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster), UIN 93235.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on by predecessor Departments on external consultants in matters relating to transport in each year since 1997. [93235]

Mr Jamieson: I refer to the hon. Member to my pursuant answer to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 698W, on external consultants.

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the consultants used, and the nature and the cost of the work in each case. [93236]

Mr. Jamieson: A list of the consultants used and the total spend against each has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Details of the nature and cost of the work in each case are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the external consultants used by his Department since its inception; how much each was paid; what the terms of reference for each were; and if he will make a statement. [93956]

Mr. Jamieson [holding answer 28 January 2003]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster), UIN 9326.

Crossrail

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of whether the Strategic Rail Authority has sufficient resources within the existing Comprehensive Spending Review settlement to enable the public sector to contribute to construction of Crossrail; and if he will make a statement; [95940]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government has already committed 154 million in support of development work on Crossrail.

It is premature to determine how best Crossrail may be implemented or financed until route options have been considered and a business case for the project established.

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The Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London are aiming to report to Ministers on these matters by the end of February. Their report is separate from the LRM proposal.

Departmental Consultations

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list consultations his Department has conducted since it was established; and when each consultation (a) opened and (b) closed. [97425]

Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Transport was established in May 2002. However, a full list of consultations on transport issues that have taken place from May 2002 (as DfT) and before (as DTLR) can be found on the Department's website (www.dft.gov.uk). DfT consultation documents are available on the relevant policy website link:


DfT consultations are also available through the UK Online website, (www. ukonline.gov.uk).

All these documents follow the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultation (www.consultation.gov.uk), which came into effect on 1 January 2001.

E-mail Addresses

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what e-mail address members of the public may contact (a) him and (b) each of the Ministers in his Department; and for each e-mail address if he will state (i) the date it became active and (ii) the number of e-mails received in each month since activation. [97440]

Mr. Jamieson: The information relating to e-mail address for each Minister is shown as follows.

ContactPublished e-mail addressActivation date
Secretary of State for Transportalistair.darling@dft.gsi.gov.uk12 June 2002
Departmental Ministerjohn.spellar@dft.gsi.gov.uk12 June 2002
Departmental Ministerdavid.jamieson@dft.gsi.gov.uk12 June 2002

Information about e-mails received monthly could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.


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