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20 May 2003 : Column 655W

Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 20 May 2003

PRIVY COUNCIL

Modernisation

32. Mr. Ben Chapman : To ask the President of the Council what plans he has to ask the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons to review the recent reform of the system of application for adjournment debates in Westminster Hall. [114250]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House has no such plans. His impression is that the new rota, by which Departments are available for debates on every alternate week, is working well.

Working Hours

Bob Spink: To ask the President of the Council what recent representations he has had on the working hours of the House of Commons. [114243]

Dr. John Reid: In the last month, I have received three letters on the working hours of the House of Commons, one of them from my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody). The issue has also been raised in many informal conversations both in the House and elsewhere.

TRANSPORT

Alconbury Airfield

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 13 May, Official Report, column 136W, on Alconbury Airfield, where the public exhibition was held recently and when; and where and when a further public exhibition is being planned for later this month. [114943]

Mr. Jamieson: The public exhibition on the Gatwick options was held on 2–3 May at the Gatwick Hilton Hotel. A further public exhibition will held on 31 May at the Arora Hotel, Crawley.

Central Railway Scheme

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 11December 2002, Official Report, column 351W, on the Central Railway Scheme, what conclusion he has reached on making the Strategic Rail Authority's report to him on the Central Railway Scheme publicly available. [111475]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 7 May 2003]: We have asked for further information from Central Railway on several matters before any decision can be taken on whether the Department should support its project.

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In particular, we need to be assured that all outstanding operational and financial issues have been resolved.

Crossrail

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regarding Crossrail; what his Department estimates to be the duration of the Crossrail project; and when the Department expects the project to be completed. [114944]

Mr. Jamieson: I regularly discuss Crossrail matters with ministerial colleagues, including those in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will continue to do so while the current proposals are evaluated. No timetable for the project has been decided.

Cycling Projects Fund

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the Cycling Projects Fund has been allocated; and to which projects. [114775]

Mr. Jamieson: In the first round of the Cycling Projects Fund, 138 local projects aiming to increase cycling were awarded a total of £2.18 million. Seven of those projects have subsequently had to withdraw, leaving the total funding at just over £2 million. I have placed details of all the remaining projects in the Libraries of the House.

In January this year, we invited bids for the second round of the Fund, for which we have made £1 million available. My Department is currently considering 466 applications and I expect to announce the successful bidders during June.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake an inquiry into the incidence, extent and cause of deep vein thrombosis among British air travellers, with specific reference to the case of Sara Newman. [114968]

Mr. Jamieson: The Government are already helping research into the incidence, extent and cause of deep vein thrombosis among air travellers being carried out under the auspices of the World Health Organisation.

Rails

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans Network Rail has for reducing the quantity of rails ordered for (a) 2004 and (b) subsequent years. [114634]

Mr. Jamieson: The issue of procurement is a commercial one for Network Rail. The company advises that its demand for rails continues to increase in line with its extensive renewal programme.

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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Courts' System

22. Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures the Lord Chancellor is taking to increase public confidence in the courts' system. [114236]

Yvette Cooper: The Lord Chancellor's Department is working with the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service to deliver a substantial programme of reform to improve confidence in the criminal justice system, including the courts.

Election Turnouts

23. Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps the Government are taking to encourage greater turnout in elections. [114238]

Yvette Cooper: The Government have introduced a series of pilots in the voting system to make it easier for people to vote and support increasing turnout. We are currently reviewing the success of the recent round of voting pilots to inform future measures.

Probate

24. Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to review probate procedures. [114240]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A wide-ranging review of probate services and procedures took place in 2001 as part of the Modernising the Civil Courts programme (now the Courts and Tribunals Modernisation Programme). This was supported by PA Consulting Group, an independent management systems and technology consulting firm, who reported their findings and recommendations to the Court Service in August 2001. Consultation took place between 25 November 2002 and 28 February 2003, and we are now analysing the responses. There are no plans for any further reviews.

Witness Attendance

25. Mr. Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps the Lord Chancellor is taking to reduce delays in cases caused by lawyers unreasonably requiring witnesses repeatedly to attend court. [114241]

Yvette Cooper: Witnesses are usually only required to attend court on the day the case is listed for trial. However, occasionally the needs of justice may require adjournment of a case to allow for re-examination of a witness. An adjournment would only be made on the request of the parties and it would be entirely a matter for the judge hearing the case to decide whether or not such a request was reasonable. Judges are mindful of the distress and inconvenience that can be caused by delay and wherever possible will work to avoid unnecessary adjournments.

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Ineffective Trials

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what actions the Department is taking to reduce the number of ineffective trials. [114239]

Yvette Cooper: The proportion of ineffective trials has reduced since 1997. The Lord Chancellor's Department is working with the Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service to reduce the number of ineffective trials further, including through the Case Preparation Project.

Magistrates Courts

Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent representations the Lord Chancellor has received on restructuring the magistrates' courts system. [114237]

Yvette Cooper: The Lord Chancellor and I have received representations about the plan to bring together the administration of the courts into a single organisation. These have come from the full range of stakeholders of the court system. We are particularly grateful to the Judiciary, Association of Justices' Chief Executives, the Justices' Clerks Society, Magistrates' Association, the Association of Magisterial Officers, the PCS and the Central Council of Magistrates Courts Committees for their active participation in developing these proposals. The Lord Chancellor and I have received a number of letters from Chairmen of magistrates courts benches.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Human Rights

18. Mr. Alan Reid : To ask the Advocate-General what human rights issues she has dealt with since 8 April. [113342]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland, Official Report, 20 May 2003; Vol. 405, c. 832.

Devolution

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues she has considered since 8 April. [113339]

The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland, Official Report, 20 May 2003; Vol. 405, c. 832.

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