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Staff Numbers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff were employed by his Department in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [106979]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on 4 April 2003, Official Report, column 891–92W.

Sunset Clauses

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the sunset clauses included in legislation from his Department since 1997. [106940]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The only sunset clause included in legislation made since 1997 from the DfES is contained in section 2 of the Education Act 2002. This is a power for the Secretary of State on the application of one or more qualifying bodies by order to make provision conferring on the applicant exemption from any requirement imposed by education legislation, relaxing any such requirement, enabling the applicant to exercise any function conferred by education legislation on any other qualifying body, and making any necessary consequential modifications.

Subsection 7 provides that no order may be made after the end of the period of four years beginning with the commencement date (October 1 2002 in England; not yet commenced in Wales).

Truancy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to reduce the number of days lost in school through unauthorised absence. [108242]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Wiggin), Official Report, column 391.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

18. Bob Spink: To ask the Solicitor General what recent representations she has received on the relationship between the Crown Prosecution Service and the police. [108260]

The Solicitor-General: I receive regular reports on the relationship between the CPS and the police from the CPS at area and national level, the police themselves, and from individuals raising issues about particular cases.

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In order that the criminal justice system works as it should, it is essential that the police and the CPS work in close partnership.

British Prisoners (Guantanamo Bay)

22. Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Solicitor General if she will make a statement on the pursuit of costs by the Treasury Solicitors from British citizens who are seeking to compel the Government to act in relation to British citizens held in Guantanamo Bay by the United States. [108265]

The Solicitor-General: The Treasury Solicitor is not pursuing any such costs. In the case of Abbasi the Court of Appeal made no order for costs.

Relatives of a number of other detainees held by the United States Government sought unsuccessfully to intervene in the Abbasi Court of Appeal hearing. Cost orders were made against them, but following representations from their solicitors the Treasury Solicitor informed their solicitors by letter on 17 March 2003 that the claim for costs would not be pursued.

Domestic Violence

24. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Solicitor General what discussions she has had with other Departments on measures to encourage witnesses to give evidence in cases of domestic violence. [108267]

The Solicitor-General: I have had recent discussions with colleagues on the Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence on a range of issues connected with domestic violence. My hon. Friend will be aware that the Government propose to introduce a Domestic Violence Bill in the third session of Parliament. This will be preceded by a consultation to be issued this summer.

Assisted Suicide

Mr. Plaskitt: To ask the Solicitor-General when a decision will be made on whether to bring charges in relation to the assisted suicide of Mr. Reginald Crew in Switzerland. [108003]

The Solicitor-General: Merseyside police have conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr. Crew and have decided that there is insufficient evidence of an offence to seek the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions to a prosecution under section 2(1) Suicide Act 1961.

Mr. Plaskitt: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans the DPP has to institute proceedings under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961 against (a) organisations providing information on overseas assisted suicide organisations and (b) publishers or distributors of self-deliverance manuals; and what criteria he applies in the latter cases. [108004]

The Solicitor-General: The decision to prosecute an offence under the Suicide Act, as in all cases, is taken in the light of all the evidence available, following an investigation conducted by the police. The DPP has not been asked for advice on whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute organisations who provide information on assisted suicide or the publishers or distributors of self-deliverance manuals. The criteria the

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DPP applies in all cases is contained in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The code can be viewed at www.cps.gov.uk.

Departmental Costs

Ms Drown: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost was to her Department of the case of R (on the application of Pretty) v. DPP 2001. [107504]

The Solicitor-General: Mrs. Diane Pretty challenged the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to grant her husband prospective immunity were he to assist her in ending her life.

The difficult and complex issues in this tragic case were considered by a number of lawyers in the Crown Prosecution Service and at the Treasury Solicitors Department. Senior Treasury Counsel was instructed to advise, and he appeared on behalf of the Director in the Divisional Court, the House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not operate a system whereby time spent on individual cases is recorded. It is therefore not possible to calculate CPS staff costs.

Treasury Solicitors did not apply for costs and did not therefore prepare a scheduled bill. These will be calculated and forwarded to my hon. Friend in due course.

Counsel was paid a total of £20,984.94 for advising and appearing at court on behalf of the Director. This includes accommodation and attendant expenses.

CABINET OFFICE

Working Hours

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what policy on (a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible. [107657]

Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office has a flexible policy on core hours. Individual management units are able to assess the extent to which core hours are necessary to support the delivery of their business. Where appropriate, core hours are usually 10 am until 12 noon and from 2 pm until 4 pm. Different core hours can be agreed locally.

The Cabinet Office supports measures to improve the work/life balance of its staff including flexible working. The Department has a dedicated site on its intranet which promotes a variety of flexible working options open to its staff, including part-time working, job-sharing, working compressed hours or staggered hours, occasional homeworking and term-time working.

These policies on core hours and flexible working are mirrored in our agency and the non-departmental public bodies for which the Department is responsible.

Equal Pay

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made with the pay review

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in the Cabinet Office, agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which the Office is responsible, with particular reference to the gender pay gap; and if he will make a statement. [106730]

Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office, Central Office of Information (COI) and the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) have separate delegated pay arrangements and have therefore been carrying out their own equal pay audits. COI and GCDA have completed their audits. The Cabinet Office audit is on target to be completed shortly.

National Insurance

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost will be to public funds in 2003–04 of the rise in national insurance contributions on the salary bill of his Department. [107900]

Mr. Alexander: It is estimated that the changes to employers' national insurance contributions announced in the Budget will increase pay costs on average by 0.7 per cent. next year.

Sunset Clauses

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the sunset clauses included in legislation from his Department since 1997. [106938]

Mr. Alexander: No legislation introduced by my Department during the period in question has contained sunset clauses. However, as part of their better regulation agenda, the Government are committed to using sunset clauses where appropriate. The revised guidance on regulatory impact assessments (published on 28 January 2003) advises policy officials to consider time limiting or sunsetting regulations, and gives specific examples of where sunsetting might be appropriate.

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