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5 Jun 2003 : Column 521W—continued
Departmental Invoices
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor General if she will list the occasions on which her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period within financial year 2001–02. [104314]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 May 2003]:
During financial year 2001–02 the Crown Prosecution Service failed to pay 13,490 out of a total of 233,126 valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period, which represents 5.8 per cent. of the invoices processed.
The information and detail is not available in the format requested without disproportionate cost.
However, the Serious Fraud Office paid 93.4 per cent. of all invoices within terms or 30 days, if no terms were specified, for the financial year 2001–02.
Treasury Solicitor's Department
The prompt payment performance of the Treasury Solicitor's Department, Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate is published each year in line with other Government Departments. For the 2001–02 financial year 97 per cent. of invoices received were paid within the 30 day period.
The total number of invoices received was 10,518 of which 10,150 were paid within 30 days. The remaining 368 (3 per cent.) were paid outside of the 30 day period. Listing each invoice individually would require
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extraction of details at disproportionate cost but the breakdown of these invoices by calendar month is as follows:
| Date | Number of invoices |
|---|---|
| April 2001 | 74 |
| May 2001 | 18 |
| June 2001 | 26 |
| July 2001 | 67 |
| August 2001 | 27 |
| September 2001 | 24 |
| October 2001 | 22 |
| November 2001 | 16 |
| December 2001 | 18 |
| January 2002 | 39 |
| February 2002 | 29 |
| March 2002 | 8 |
| Total | 368 |
Employment Relations Act
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff in the Law Officers' Departments have taken time off from work in order to attend to domestic incidents as provided for by the Employment Relations Act 1999. [108337]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 April 2003]: In relation to my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, working patterns have at all times been sufficiently flexible to enable staff to deal with domestic incidents. No requests for flexibility have specifically related to the 1999 Act.
The information you request is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
This information is not available without incurring disproportionate costs.
Treasury Solicitor's Department:
160 staff in the Treasury Solicitor's Department have taken time off in order to attend to domestic incidents since this part of the Act came into force.
Ministerial Transport
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what her estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for her Department in 2002. [101847]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 12 May 2003]: On the cost of ministerial cars I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 20 May 2003, Official Report, column 663W.
The Crown Prosecution Service does not separately record expenditure on taxis and it would incur disproportionate cost to identify this information. The costs of taxis are included with other miscellaneous travel expenditure and the aggregate cost of such expenditure in 2002 was £189,000.
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Serious Fraud Office
The total incurred by the Serious Fraud Office for taxis during the financial year 2002 is £15,893.27.
Treasury Solicitor's Department
The information available in relation to taxis is not held in the form required. Where authorised small claims for travel expenses are met from petty cash, the method of travel is not distinguished. The total expenditure from petty cash for all travel purposes so far in 2002–03 has been £5,523. Where claims are paid otherwise taxi fares are separately identifiable. In 2002–03 these amount to £2,800 for the Treasury Solicitor's Department of which £1,173 is attributable to the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and £25 to Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. Information is not held by calendar year.
Property Portfolio
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the estimated value is of the property portfolio held by the Law Officers' Department. [108360]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 14 April 2003]:
The National Asset Register, published in July 2001 (Cm 5221), lists those assets owned by the Crown Prosecution Service. The Crown Prosecution Service has freehold ownership of buildings in four locations—Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Portsmouth and Sheffield. The total estimated market value of the land and buildings for these four locations at 31 March 2000 was £3,845,000.
The Serious Fraud Office has a single headquarters building which is subject to a full commercial repairing lease with a remaining life of some 10 years and is not owned by the Serious Fraud Office. The Serious Fraud Office does not own any other land or property.
Treasury Solicitor's Department:
The Treasury Solicitor's Department occupies a largely Crown freehold property, incorporating a small area on a 999 year lease to the Crown, whose total value was estimated at a little over £28,000,000 on 31 March 2002.
The Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate both occupy premises rented on modern leases at commercial rates.
In addition, the Treasury Solicitor's Department manages a modern leasehold property formerly, occupied by Government Property Lawyers and now hosting a number of public bodies who pay occupation charges ("rent") under interdepartmental Memoranda of Terms of Occupations. The lease expires in 2016.
Staff Union Duties
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff in the Law Officers' Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in 2002. [106731]
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The Solicitor-General [holding answer 7 April 2003]: In relation to my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, staff are on secondment from other Departments and are covered by their parent Department's arrangements.
Facility time allocation in the Crown Prosecution Service is in the form of a block allowance—of 2,674 days—to the two recognised trade unions. For the financial year 2001–02 the number of staff receiving paid leave to undertake union duties was 136 and the cost to public funds was £280,042.75.
The Serious Fraud Office does not have any staff who receive paid leave to undertake union duties.
HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
The size of Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate means that we have no formal arrangements for facility time. However, both the FDA and the PCS have branches within Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and a Whitley Council which meets quarterly. Preparation and attendance is absorbed within normal working arrangements and I would not regard this as "paid leave". In addition, permission is given for occasional meetings. The total time involved is presently so small as not to warrant separate recording and costing.
Treasury Solicitor's Department
Seven members of staff in the Treasury Solicitor's Department are eligible to receive paid leave to undertake union duties; the total allocation is 40 days per year. The actual cost to public funds in 2002 was £715.
Statutory Instruments
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the statutory instruments issued by the Law Officers' Department since 17 April 2002. [106756]
The Solicitor-General [holding answer 7 April 2003]: None of the Departments for which the Attorney-General holds ministerial responsibility have issued statutory instruments in the period in question.
ADVOCATE-GENERAL
Mental Health
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Advocate General (1) how many of her staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year; [111992]
- (2) how many sick days were lost in the last year by her Department through staff mental health problems; [112006]
(3) how many of her staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year; [111970]
(4) what arrangements are made in her Department to allow staff to access counselling services. [111940]
The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Member to the Answers given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
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