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Revenue Support Grant

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what base year was used to calculate the level of visitor numbers when setting the Revenue Support Grant for 2003–04. [130897]

Mr. Raynsford: The 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement included estimates of day visitors and overnight visitors.

The estimates of day visitors were based on research using information from the Leisure Day Visits Survey 1988–89, 1991 Census, 1991 Survey of Visits to Tourist Attractions, 1991 Census of Employment and other information about urban areas, National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and official bathing beaches. The information used was that available to the Secretary of State for National Heritage on 1 November 1993.

The estimates of overnight visitors were generally based on information from the United Kingdom Tourism Surveys (1993 to 2001), for domestic visitors; and from the International Passenger Surveys (1999 to 2001) and the 1991 Census for foreign visitors.

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he made of visitor numbers to Worcester City when calculating the Revenue Support Grant for 2003–04. [130898]

Mr. Raynsford: The figure used in the calculation of the 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement for the annual number of day visitors to Worcester City was 2,188,000. Overnight visitors are not included in the calculation for district councils.

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he next plans to assess visitor numbers used in the Revenue Support Grant allocation. [130899]

Mr. Raynsford: A review of the visitor indicators used in the calculation of Formula Spending Shares is planned to commence early in 2004.

The 2003–04 Local Government Finance Settlement saw the introduction of a new formula. To give some stability, it was announced there would be no further Formula Spending Share formula changes until 2006–07 at the earliest, except where there are changes in the functions of councils, or the financing of particular services. During this time data will continue to be updated.

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of (a) the night-time economy and (b) visitor numbers for county towns when setting the Revenue Support Grant. [130900]

Mr. Raynsford: Overnight visitors to an area are included in the calculations for the Police and Highway Maintenance Formula Spending Shares. Day visitors are included in calculations for the Police, Highway Maintenance and Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services Formula Spending Share.

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he will use 2001 census data to determine country of birth indicators when allocating revenue support grants in 2004–05. [130902]

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Mr. Raynsford: Data from the 1991 census will be used to determine the country of birth indicators in the calculation of the 2004–05 Local Government Finance Settlement.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Rights of Way

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps have been taken to assess whether any land held by the Church of England may be suitable for dedicating for access under section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [131573]

Mr. Bell: No such assessment has been made. The Commissioners are committed to protecting public rights of way over their land and ensuring that such rights are respected. Any proposals for additional rights that were compatible with the Commissioners' trustee obligations and had no adverse effect on the land or tenants would be looked at on their merits.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Organ Donors

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will amend the Electoral Registration form to allow persons to indicate whether they are willing to be organ donors. [130989]

Mr. Leslie: The framework governing the purposes for which the electoral registration form and the electoral register may be used, which was introduced last year after lengthy discussion, complies with data protection and human rights legislation, and my Department has no plans to amend the electoral registration form to allow it to be used for additional purposes. We concur with the view of the independent Electoral Commission that additional material unrelated to electoral issues should not normally be included with registration forms.

Electoral Register

Mr. Love: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what action he is taking to tackle the problem of citizens disappearing from the electoral register; and what assistance he gives local authorities. [131423]

Mr. Leslie: The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 introduced in February 2001 a number of changes to voter registration procedures, including 'rolling registration', aimed both at making it easier to register to vote and at achieving more accurate and up to date electoral registers. The independent Electoral Commission is to undertake research into the effects of the changes to registration procedures in order to identify the extent of under registration, which the Government will consider carefully. The Electoral Commission is responsible for offering advice and guidance to electoral registration

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officers on these and other matters and will continue to encourage registration through various promotional activities.

Mr. Love: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what obligations local authorities have to ensure UK citizens remain on the electoral register. [131424]

Mr. Leslie: Electoral Registration Officers, appointed by local authorities, are required to compile and maintain accurate electoral registers. They must register all eligible persons and have powers to seek information from any person who they consider is eligible to be registered. It is an offence for any person to fail to comply with a request for information from, or to give false information to, an Electoral Registration Officer.

Asbestos

Dr. Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1 January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004. [130914]

Mr. Lammy: My Department's HQ Estate has spent £5,801 on asbestos surveys and £10,396 on the management and removal of asbestos since 2001. Funding for commissioning surveys and the management and removal of asbestos from the estate in 2003 and 2004 will be available from existing maintenance budgets.

The Court Service is unable to provide the information and figures without incurring disproportionate costs. They are preparing to comply with the 2004 duty by identifying where in buildings asbestos is present, assessing the risk and, depending on its condition and whether it is likely to be disturbed, taking action to manage the risk.

Catherine Meyer

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to make representations to the Chief Justice of Germany concerning the case of Catherine Meyer. [131740]

Mr. Lammy: None.

Western Circuit

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) who was consulted about the proposal to remove Hampshire from the Western Circuit; when the decision will be made; and if he will make a statement; [129035]

(2) what representations he has received on the proposal to remove Hampshire from the Western Circuit; [129043]

(3) what factors underlay the proposal to (a) remove Hampshire from the Western Circuit and (b) include it in a South Eastern tier; and if he will make a statement. [129044]

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Mr. Key: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the impact on the Western Circuit of his proposal to move Winchester Crown Court into the South Eastern Circuit; [129017]

(2) what assessment he has made of the impact of his proposal to move Winchester Crown Court into the South Eastern Circuit on the administration of justice in the Salisbury Constituency; [129018]

(3) what representations he has received from the judiciary about his proposal to remove Winchester Crown Court into the South Eastern Circuit; [129019]

(4) what consultation he proposes to hold with hon. Members for constituencies in (a) Wiltshire and (b) Dorset about his proposals to remove Winchester Crown Court from the Western to the South Eastern Circuit; [129020]

(5) where people from the Salisbury Constituency charged with (a) murder, (b) manslaughter and (c) attempted murder will be sent for trial if Winchester Crown Court is removed to the South Eastern Circuit. [129021]

Mr. Leslie: The Courts Bill, which is currently before Parliament, makes provisions that will allow the Government to replace the existing 42 magistrates courts committees and the Court Service with a single executive agency, responsible for the administration of all the courts below the House of Lords. No date has yet been set for the establishment of the new unified courts agency although it will not be before April 2005.

The unified courts agency will be an entirely new organisation, twice the size of either of the two services that will be subsumed within it. The Secretary of State and I have given close consideration to the regional management structure for the agency and what the boundaries of those regions should be. In this context, we paid careful attention to the "Modernising Government" White Paper of March 1999. This sets out the Government's policy that, wherever possible, the boundaries of government departments and public bodies at regional level should coincide with those of the Government Offices for the Regions. This commitment was repeated in the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice" in May 2002.

Since May 2003 the Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper), officials from the Department for Constitutional Affairs and I have held meetings with the senior judiciary, representatives of the General Council of the Bar, and judges and barristers from the Western Circuit to discuss the structure of the new agency and in particular how the area currently covered by the Western Circuit should fit within that. Written submissions from judges and barristers have also been received on the subject.

On 31 July 2003, the Secretary of State and I announced our decision that, at local level, the unified courts agency would have 42 management units coterminous with local government boundaries. This is in line with other criminal justice agencies such as the Police Authorities, Crown Prosecution Service and the Probation Service. There will also be seven regions.

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The boundaries of these regions will be coterminous with those of the Government Offices for the Regions, with two exceptions. The Secretary of State and I have decided that the Cheshire management unit should be linked with the Wales region for the time being but that we want to review this in 2006–07 as part of a general post implementation review of the agency's working arrangements. We have asked for further work to be undertaken before deciding whether to align the Hampshire unit with the South East or South West regions. This work will cover what the impact of including Hampshire within the South East region would be on the administration of justice throughout the current Western Circuit and in particular whether there would be a need to change the way in which cases are handled in Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire. This will inform our decision, which we intend to take by 31 October 2003. I would be happy to discuss this matter with hon. Members representing constituencies in those counties.

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