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15 Sept 2003 : Column 606W—continued
Water Efficient Technologies
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the effects of the introduction of enhanced capital allowances for water-efficient technologies; what assessment has been made by the Treasury of such effects; and if he will make a statement. [130236]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is contained in Table A1 (page 185) of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2003 [HC 500].
Actual Exchequer cost will depend upon take-up of the qualifying technology products. It is too early to comment on the actual take-up of thepolicy and the related effects.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Immigration Work (Legal Practices)
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many legal practices specialising in immigration work have ceased to offer their services in the last two years citing insufficient income from legal aid as a reason. [127393]
Mr. Lammy: Neither my Department, nor the Legal Services Commission, maintain records on the number of legal practices specialising in immigration work that have ceased to offer their services citing insufficient income from legal aid as a reason. However, the number of organisations with contracts to provide publicly funded immigration and asylum legal services has increased over the last two years from 548 to 644.
Legal Services Commission
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Legal Services Commission uses a cost-benefit analysis when deciding whether to grant legal aid. [128813]
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Mr. Lammy: The Legal Services Commission assesses applications for Community Legal Service funding (formerly civil legal aid) against a means and a merits assessment under the Funding Code approved by Parliament. The only exceptions are public law Children Act cases and hearings before the Mental Health Review Tribunal, for which funding is available on a non-means, non-merits basis. A cost-benefit test is an important part of this assessment. The Code imposes different types of cost-benefit test according to the nature of the case. Broadly the criteria seek to ensure that public funding is only available in circumstances where a privately paying client would be prepared to litigate.
A cost-benefit test is not used when deciding whether to grant publicly funded legal representation in criminal cases. The only test in determining whether an individual should be publicly funded is whether it is in the interests of justice, as required by article 6 of ECHR.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to review the guidelines used by the Legal Services Commission in making decisions on the allocation of legal aid. [128814]
Mr. Lammy: The Legal Services Commission is responsible for granting public funding in civil cases. The merits criteria for the public funding of individual civil claims are contained in the Commission's Funding Code, which is established under the Access to Justice Act 1999. The criteria themselves are supported by detailed decision-making guidance which is regularly reviewed and updated by the Commission.
There are plans to issue a consultation paper later this year to consider whether changes to the Funding Code should be made. Any changes would be implemented on or after April 2004.
Sheriffs
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) Sheriffs and (b) Under Sheriffs are (i) women and (ii) from minority ethnic communities; and if he will make a statement. [129318]
Mr. Leslie: Of the 51 High Sheriffs in England and Wales that the Privy Council is responsible for appointing (that is, excluding Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cornwall) 16 (31 per cent.) are women. The responsibility for appointing Under Sheriffs lies with High Sheriffs, and the Privy Council has no responsibility for them. Information on the ethnic background of nominees for High Sheriff is not supplied to the Privy Council. Appointment panels have now been set up, in all areas, and they have been asked to ensure that the pool from which nominees are drawn includes people from as wide a variety of backgrounds as possible.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Alconbury Airfield
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will make a decision on the application by Alconbury Development Ltd. concerning the Alconbury airfield. [129685]
Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting parties about whether material changes have occurred since the inquiry into the appeals, relating to development at Alconbury Airfield, closed. The deadline for responses is 13 October. Any representations made will then be circulated for comment, giving a further period within which final comments may be made. The decisions on the appeals will be made as soon as possible after that. The exact timing will, however, depend on whether any matters arise from the reference back.
Local Authority Housing
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out his reasons for refusing to allocate additional funds to those local authorities who choose not to establish arm's length management operations for their council housing. [129306]
Keith Hill: The Sustainable Communities Plan made it clear that there are three options open to local authorities seeking additional investment in their housing stock: Stock transfer, the Private Finance Initiative and the establishment of an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO).
The range of options is needed so that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister can increase the quality of social housing alongside the achievement of other priorities. Additional resources are directed to options that will improve performance and service quality at the same time.
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authorities which have conducted ballots amongst their housing tenants for arm's length management operations; and what (a) the turn-out in each case and (b) the percentage votes for and against was. [129307]
Keith Hill: The information requested is tabled as follows:
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Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will allocate additional funds to local authorities whose tenants have voted in favour of the establishment of arm's length management operations. [129308]
Keith Hill: Allocation of funds to a local authority under the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) Programme is subject to two conditions: the council obtaining approval from the Secretary of State under section 27 of the Housing Act 1985 to delegate its housing management functions to an ALMO, for which tenant support is a key criterion; and the ALMO gaining at least a 2* from the Housing Inspectorate. We confirm the allocation of funds when both of these conditions are satisfied.
Census Forms
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people have been prosecuted for not filling in their census forms in (a) Crosby and (b) the UK. [129452]
Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
- The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have been prosecuted for not filling in their census forms in (a) Crosby and (b) in the UK. I am replying in his absence.
- In England and Wales there were 38 prosecutions for refusal to complete and return a census form. There was one prosecution in the Crosby constituency. Scotland and Northern Ireland conducted their own Censuses and prosecution for refusal to complete and return a census form was the responsibility of the respective Registrars General of these countries.
- The Office for National Statistics followed a policy of only prosecuting in cases where it had obtained clear and sufficient documentary evidence of a refusal to return a completed Census form.
Correspondence
Mrs. Roe: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Broxbourne of (a) 19 June, (b) 15 July, (c) 13 August and (d) 9 September relating to correspondence from Hertfordshire county council. [129832]
Yvette Cooper: I replied to the hon. Member on 11 September.
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