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11 Jun 2003 : Column 930W—continued
Health and Safety
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the progress being made by his Department in establishing the Incident Contact Centre. [117278]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 9 June 2003]: The Incident Contact Centre (ICC) was successfully launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in April 2001 to process all statutory reports notified under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.
HSE established the ICC as part of the Government's e-programme.
There has been a continued positive shift towards electronic reporting since the service was launched. The number of reports received by post has dropped from over 80 per cent. at the beginning to around 40 per cent. now, with a corresponding increase in the number of telephone reports from less than 10 per cent. initially to 25 per cent. in April 2003.
Income Support
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of income support. [118502]
Malcolm Wicks: Income support statistics are published in the Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries. These are available in the Library.
Work-related Deaths and Injuries
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) work-related deaths and (b) serious injuries have occurred in the Bolton, South-East parliamentary constituency in each of the last 10 years; and how many prosecutions there have been as a result. [117133]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The number of work-related deaths and major injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the Metropolitan borough of Bolton since 1996–97, and the numbers of prosecutions by HSE as a result, are as follows:
| Year(15) | Work-related deaths | Separate offences prosecuted | Major injuries | Separate offences prosecuted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 2 | 1 | 330 | — |
| 1997–98 | 1 | 1 | 192 | 1 |
| 1998–99 | 1 | — | 138 | — |
| 1999–2000 | 2 | — | 116 | 3 |
| 2000–01 | 1 | — | 100 | — |
| 2001–02 | 2 | — | 152 | — |
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| Year(15) | Work-related deaths | Major injuries | Separate offences prosecuted (all health and safety offences)(16) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | — | 90 | 3 |
| 1997–98 | — | 56 | 6 |
| 1998–99 | — | 65 | 3 |
| 1999–2000 | — | 82 | 9 |
| 2000–01 | — | 50 | 4 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 60 | Not yet available |
(15) The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.
(16) Figures for offences prosecuted specifically following death or major injury are not available except at disproportionate cost.
Information at constituency level is not available. Information in answer to this question for the years before 1996–97 is not available except at disproportionate cost.
Work-related Stress Disorder
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were diagnosed with work-related stress disorder making them unable to work for a longer period of time in (a) 1990, (b) 1995, (c) 2000 and (d) 2002; and if he will make a statement. [113888]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: We are not able to supply the information in the format requested. Information on cases diagnosed (by consultant psychiatrists or specialist occupational physicians) of anxiety, depression and other stress related ill health is available for 1999, 2000, and 2001 from the Health and Safety Executive's Occupational Diseases Surveillance Scheme (ODIN).
| Newly diagnosed cases of anxiety, depression and other stress related ill health (in a 12 month period) (ODIN)(17) | |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Not available |
| 1995 | Not available |
| 1998–99 | Not available |
| 1999 | 5,523 |
| 2000 | 6,327 |
| 2001 | 6,735 |
| 2001–02 | Not available |
(17) The ODIN surveillance system covers work-related mental ill-health as reported by Occupational Physicians and Psychiatrists. For the purposes of measuring Work- related Stress, cases diagnosed as "Anxiety/Depression" and "Other Work-related Stress" are used.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Claims Factories
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will conduct an inquiry into the operations of claims factories. [117103]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are keeping under review the operation of the claims management market and are working with a range of organisations including the Law Society to encourage high and common standards in accident compensation. Claims management companies can provide an efficient and affordable means of handling claims for compensation and provide access to justice to people who might not otherwise be able to afford it. Those who provide the
11 Jun 2003 : Column 932W
services which claims management companies organise are regulated by a range of bodies, including the Law Society, the General Council of the Bar, the Financial Services Authority and the General Insurance Standards Council. The Government have undertaken to set up a review of the regulatory framework for legal services the exact parameters of which will be announced before the summer break.
Correspondence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many staff have been employed in the Ministerial Correspondence Unit of the Department in each of the last two years. [115879]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of staff employed in my Department's Ministerial Correspondence Unit, at 1 April of the last two years, is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 2 |
| 2003–04 | 2 |
Departmental Underspend
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Lord Chancellor has to reduce the Department's underspend in 2003–04 from that of 2002–03. [112773]
Ms Rosie Winterton: My Department is currently expecting to spend under 1 per cent. less than its 2002–03 Resource Estimate. This outturn position is provisional.
Planned spending for 2003–04 is set out in the Departmental Report 2001–02 CM5408, Table A1: Public Spending, page 94.
Legal Aid (Northern Ireland)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of civil legal aid claimants in Northern Ireland (a) were successful, (b) were unsuccessful and (c) settled in 2002. [118436]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In Northern Ireland 23,106 civil legal aid cases were closed during 2002. Of these:
- 26.0 per cent. (5,999) were successful;
14.4 per cent. (3,329) were unsuccessful;
45.5 per cent. (10,525) were settled; and
14.1 per cent. (3,253) were withdrawn
Ms Rosie Winterton: During 2002, 14,032 civil legal aid applications were received and 11,481 civil legal aid certificates were granted in Northern Ireland.
11 Jun 2003 : Column 933W
Lady Hermon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many criminal legal aid applications were made in Northern Ireland in 2002; and how many were granted. [118440]
Ms Rosie Winterton: During 2002, 21,125 applications for criminal legal aid were made and 20,364 criminal legal aid certificates were granted in Northern Ireland.
Legal Services Commission
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the budget allocated to the Legal Services Commission was in 2003–04; and what the corresponding figures were in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001. [117477]
Ms Rosie Winterton: For the financial years from 1999to 2001 the respective annual budget allocations to the Legal Services Commission for legal aid were:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 1,200 |
| 2000–01 | 1,248 |
| 2001–02 | 1,219 |
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 412 |
| 2000–01 | 435 |
| 2001–02 | 474 |
Note:
These figures are described in cash terms.
The annual budget allocation to the Legal Services Commission for legal aid in 2003–04 is £1,726 million. This now includes legal aid for cases in the higher criminal courts. It does not, however, include resources for immigration/asylum matters, which are now to be included in a separate, single asylum fund. Resources for that budget are yet to be finalised.
In line with changes in Government accounting this amount is described in terms of resources, which differs from cash in that resources are accounted for as and when they are consumed rather than when they are paid for.
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