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Compensation

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much money has been paid out in compensation in each year since the introduction of conditional fee arrangements. [120964]

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Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is not collected and could not be compiled without incurring disproportionate cost.

Constitutional Affairs Department

Mr. Cash: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to issue a White Paper on the legal and constitutional implications of the creation of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. [122248]

Mr. Leslie: My noble and learned Friend, the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor will be publishing a consultation document on the establishment of a Judicial Appointments Commission and a new Supreme Court on 14 July 2003. We will be announcing our conclusions in the light of the responses received. In the autumn he will be setting out the various issues which need to be addressed in relation to the detailed other roles of the Lord Chancellor.

Coroner's Office

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether Coroners will be appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission. [120243]

Mr. Leslie: The forthcoming consultation paper on the arrangements for the new Judicial Appointments Commission, referred to in my statement of 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 19WS will invite comment on the range of appointments to be covered by the Commission. Coroners are currently appointed by local councils, with the approval of the Home Secretary for certain positions. The Luce report (Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland—The Report of a Fundamental Review 2003, Home Office, June 2003) recommended that all responsibilities for the appointment and discipline of Coroners should be brought together in the Department for Constitutional Affairs. No decisions will be taken on the specific role and functions of the Commission until the consultation exercise has been completed.

Creche Facilities

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make a statement on the crêche facilities available to the children of his Department's staff. [121117]

Mr. Lammy: My Department has 45 bought-in nursery places, and during the past year, provided 78 holiday playscheme places. These cost approximately £103,000 during the past year: £94,000 on subsidised nursery places (at a cost of £2,350 per child per annum); and £9,000 on subsidised playscheme places during school holidays (at a cost of £115 per place).

We are currently conducting a review to establish whether other forms of child care such as vouchers and after-school care could supplement existing provision. Departmental child care subsidies were reduced to 25 per cent. of the cost in order to assist a greater number of employees with a more flexible child care package.

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The development of a Playscheme Pack to support regional holiday playscheme initiatives is already under way.

My Department has participated actively in an inter-departmental working party in collaboration with the Daycare Trust to develop a new child care strategy for Civil Service employees. We are contributing to the development of a toolkit to assist Departments in making a business case for the provision of child care and the establishment of a central database of information about setting up child care initiatives.

Departmental Budget

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the budget is for his Department for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05. [121478]

Mr. Leslie: The budget for the Department for Constitutional Affairs will be submitted for consideration by Parliament in accordance with the timetable that will be set by HM Treasury for supplementary estimates, and will reflect folly the effects of the machinery of government changes.

Departmental Title

Mr. Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department of Constitutional Affairs, when the Lord Chancellor's Department will be renamed the Department for Constitutional Affairs. [119978]

Mr. Leslie: The former Lord Chancellor's Department became part of the Department for Constitutional Affairs when Lord Falconer was appointed Secretary of State for Constitutional Affair and Lord Chancellor.

Ecclesiastical Appointments

Mr. Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appointments to benefices and other ecclesiastical appointments are subject to the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; and what changes have been made in the arrangements for these appointments. [121026]

Mr. Leslie: There are approximately 500 benefices, and 12 cathedral canonries, of which the Lord Chancellor is patron. The arrangements for these appointments currently remain unchanged with the appointment of my noble and learned Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton as the Lord Chancellor. This will be looked at during the transitional period.

Electoral Systems

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what timetable he proposes for consultation on the review of electoral systems; and if he will make a statement. [121292]

Mr. Leslie [holding answer 24 June 2003]: Our intention remains to review the experience of the new voting systems for the devolved Administrations, the European Parliament, and the London Assembly along

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with the recommendations of the Jenkins report. The timing and structure of any such review has yet to be decided.

Government Reshuffle

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many civil servants formerly employed in the (a) Wales and (b) Scotland offices will transfer to his Department; and how many will not transfer. [121474]

Mr. Lammy: There are 49 civil servants currently in post in the Wales Office and a total of 122 in the Scotland Office, of which 33 are staff of the Advocate General for Scotland. They are all on loan or secondment principally from the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive respectively. Staff will be offered the options of either transferring to the complement of the DCA, remaining on secondment or loan, or returning to their parent department.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what his estimate is of the costs of (a) an Independent Appointments Commission for judges and (b) the (i) office and (ii) salary of Speaker of the House of Lords. [121481]

Mr. Leslie: On part (a), I refer the right hon. Member for Wokingham to the statement I made on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 19WS. The Government have undertaken to consult on the arrangements for the new Judicial Appointments Commission before the summer recess. The costs of the new Commission will depend upon the specific role and function of the Commission. No decisions will be taken on these issues until the consultation exercise has been completed.

On part (b), my right hon. and noble Friend the Leader of the Other Place is consulting on the Government's proposal concerning the Speakership of that House. It is too early to estimate costs of (i) office or (ii) salary, since these will depend on decisions which the House of Lords has not yet taken.

House of Lords

Norman Lamb: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will bring forward proposals to exclude convicted criminals from membership of the House of Lords. [121563]

Mr. Leslie [holding answer 24 June 2003]: The Government recognise that there is a difference between the treatment of Members of the House of Commons, who lose their seats if convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment, and that of Members of the House of Lords, who remain free to return to that House on completion of their sentence. In its White Paper "The House of Lords: Completing the Reform" (Cm 5291) it proposed bringing the arrangements for the two Houses into line in due course.

Human Rights Act Cases

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment

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he has made of the implications of the draft European Constitution for cases brought under the Human Rights Act 1998. [121688]

Mr. Lammy: The Convention on the Future of Europe's proposals on a draft Constitutional Treaty were presented to Heads of State and Government at the Thessaloniki European Council on 19 and 20 June by the President of the Convention, Valery Giscard d'Estaing. These proposals, including those on the status of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, will be discussed in detail at the Inter-Governmental Conference which will begin later this year. It should be noted that the Charter is addressed to the institutions, bodies and agencies of the Union, and to the member states only when they are implementing Union law.

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