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Privy Council Meetings

40. Hugh Bayley: To ask the President of the Council how many times the Privy Council met in March 2003. [107455]

Mr. Bradshaw: Once, on 20 March 2003. Full details of the business transacted at the meeting are given on the Privy Council Office website. These details are posted on the site after every meeting of the Privy Council.

Divisions

Mrs. Browning: To ask the President of the Council if he will list those hon. Members who since May 2001 have voted both aye and no in the same division; and if he will identify the number of times each hon. Member has done this. [106590]

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Mr. Bradshaw: Records are not kept of the occasions on which hon. Members vote both aye and no in the same division. The information is available from the division lists published in Hansard, but could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Magistrates Courts

26. Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the Department's policy on location of magistrates' courts. [107461]

Yvette Cooper: By statute, the Magistrates' Courts Service is locally managed. It is for local Magistrates' Courts Committees to decide on the provision of courthouses at a local level.

27. Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent discussions she has had about the future of Harrow magistrates court. [107462]

Yvette Cooper: I have had no discussions on the future of Harrow magistrates court. The Greater London Magistrates Court Authority concluded its consultation exercise to close the magistrates court in Harrow on 14 March 2003. No formal determination has yet been made to close the courthouse.

Ministry of Justice

28. Mr. Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Lord Chancellor will bring forward proposals to restructure his Department into a Ministry of Justice; and if she will make a statement. [107463]

Yvette Cooper: The Ministry of Justice would be responsible for the whole of the law, both civil and criminal, whereas at present, the Lord Chancellor's Department is responsible for the former and the Home Office for the latter. The distribution of responsibilities between Whitehall Departments is a matter for the Prime Minister. The present distribution of business between the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service supports the effective and efficient discharge of public business and delivery of public services.

Electoral Reform

29. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent assessment her Department has made of electoral practices in other EU states in considering electoral reform in the UK. [107464]

Yvette Cooper: We are always ready to consider whether electoral practices in other countries could usefully be adopted for UK elections. The responsibility for researching and assessing such matters now rests with the Electoral Commission. I understand that practice elsewhere has helped inform the Commission's current review programme covering various aspects of our electoral arrangements, the results of which they hope to present to the Government shortly.

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Computer Projects

30. Mr. Bacon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement about the management of computer projects for the Lord Chancellor's Department. [107465]

Yvette Cooper: All IT projects are managed using the Prince 2 project management methodology. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) process for Gateway Reviews is used to quality assure these projects.

Adoption and Children Act

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what programme has been agreed for the implementation of the provisions of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 for which he carries ministerial responsibility; and if he will make a statement on that programme. [107016]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Adoption and Children Act 2002 received Royal Assent on 7 November 2002. Ministers in the Department of Health and my Department are considering plans for implementation of the Act. Full implementation is expected by the end of 2004. However, some elements such as the definition of 'harm' in relation to domestic violence are expected sooner. We have begun to consult on amendments to the Family Proceedings Rules 1991 (Domestic Violence).

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when all the provisions of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 will be brought into force, with particular reference to section 122(1)(b) and section 122(2). [107017]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Adoption and Children Act received Royal Assent on 7 November 2002. Ministers of the Department of Health and the Lord Chancellor's Department are considering plans for implementation of the Act. Full implementation is anticipated by the end of 2004.

Children and Family Court Advisory andSupport Service

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Lord Chancellor intends to publish the framework for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [107013]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Framework Document for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service was published in April 2001 and copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Court of Protection

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department pursuant to her answer of 20 March 2003, Official Report, column 908W, on portfolio holdings held by the Court of Protection for minors, what measures are in place to ensure that depreciation in the value of funds held by the Public Guardianship Office is kept to a minimum. [105967]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Any equity investment in respect of Public Guardianship Office's (PGO) clients is undertaken by external fund managers either by a panel

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fund manager appointed by the PGO or by a manager chosen by the receiver on behalf of the child and approved by the Court of Protection. Equities are held in a diversified portfolio, comprising holdings in individual shares or in unitised funds, so as to spread the risk. The performance of the fund managers is regularly monitored and any underperformance investigated.

In giving its directions for the investment of funds, the Court of Protection recommends investment strategies that are deemed suitable for the individual requirements of each case. These will provide for some, and sometimes all, of the award to be held as a cash deposit in the Special Account operated by the Court Funds Office, which currently pays a favourable rate of interest of 6 per cent. This is to ensure that commitments over the shorter term can be met without there being any obligation to sell securities at a time when they may have fallen in value, and also to modify risk in the overall portfolio.

Equities have suffered badly over the past three years, but they are still recommended as the best means of achieving a return that matches or exceeds the rate of inflation over the longer term.

There are no specific measures in place to ensure that there is no depreciation in the value of such funds. The only way to do that would be to hold all the funds in the form of cash, but that would run the risk of failing to match future rates of inflation and mean that clients' funds would perform less well relative to equity markets when they were rising.

Criminal Justice and Court Services Act

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how the Lord Chancellor has exercised his powers under paragraph 9(1) of Schedule 2 to the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 to direct the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service on (a) the performance of its functions and powers and (b) the functions of officers of the Service; what the instructions were; and if she will make a statement. [107015]

Ms Rosie Winterton: My right hon. and Learned Friend the Lord Chancellor has not exercised his powers under paragraph 9(1) of Schedule 2 to the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. CAFCASS's Board has responsibility for establishing the Service's strategic direction within the policy framework, and the key objectives he sets for the Service and the resources he allocates to it. The Chief Executive of CAFCASS is responsible for the Service's day-to-day operation within the strategic direction set by the Board.

Departmental Pay

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what progress has been made with the pay review in the Lord Chancellor's Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which the Lord Chancellor is responsible, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if she will make a statement. [106748]

Ms Rosie Winterton: In common with other Government Departments and agencies, and in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines, the Lord

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Chancellor's Department and the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which the Lord Chancellor is responsible, are required to undertake gender equality audits of pay and related systems. In most cases these audits have either been completed or are nearing completion. The Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) proposes to conduct an equality audit later in the year, once terms and conditions of its staff have been harmonised. Audits which have been completed indicate that there are no significant gender imbalances, and action plans drawn up from the audits will indicate how any imbalances will be addressed.

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