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14 Oct 2003 : Column 229W—continued

Travel to Work Areas

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the top and bottom 100 travel to work areas by average wage; and if he will make a statement. [129159]

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.

The Information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who is writing to the hon. Member.

Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 17 September 2003:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on the top and bottom 100 travel to work areas by average wage. I am replying in his absence.

14 Oct 2003 : Column 230W

Information on average weekly earnings for travel to work areas is taken from the New Earnings Survey (NES) for 2002, the latest year for which data are available. Publication criteria for NBS state that all estimates with a sample size less than 30 or a relative standard error greater than 5% must be excluded from published analyses since they are not accurate enough.

A large number of the earnings estimates for travel to work areas have been excluded as a result of these criteria, and there are a total of 150 areas for which estimates can be given. I am placing in the House of Commons library a single table showing the estimated average weekly earnings for each of these 150 travel to work areas.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Accountancy Services

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total cost to the Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03. [109494]

Mr. Lammy: My Department entered into a nine year PFI contract with Liberata UK Ltd., (formerly CSL Group Ltd.) in January 1998. This contract covers a wide range of services including providing accounting systems, making payments, receipting and accounts production. The cost of accountancy services provided to the Department by Liberata under the contract, and from other external firms of accountants or their management consultancy arms where the assignment was connected with financial matters, in 2002–03 was £6.4 million.

Family Law

Mr. Beith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what aspects of family law continue to be the responsibility of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. [131404]

Mr. Lammy: The schedule lists all areas of family law and family policy which had been the responsibility of the former Lord Chancellor's Department prior to the Machinery of Government changes which were announced on 13 June 2003.

The schedule indicates which responsibilities remain with the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and which have been transferred to the Department for Education and Skills.

Proposed future roles and responsibilities for children and families policyDFES/DCA

	DfES	DCA
Domestic violence	Contributing re impact of domestic violence on children	Stays (with HO leading cross-Government 'Virtual Unit' on consultation paper and prospective Bill)
Civil partnerships	Contributing re issues affecting children if registering/dissolving same-sex partnerships	Stays (with DTI leading on consultation paper and prospective Bill)
(Opposite sex) cohabitation	Contributing re specific needs and vulnerability of children of cohabitees	Lead, (DCA leading cross-Government exploration of information campaign)
International	Interest in possible domestic impact	Lead, (DCA leading on range of international legal treaty commitments, and Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) casework)
Family justice system	'Powerful customer' specifying desired priorities and outcomes for children involved in system	Lead, (implementation of new legislation (eg Adoption and Children Act 2002) and maintenance/development of existing legislation. On-going delivery through the courts, with Legal Services Commission (re legal aid) and new Family Justice Council)
Divorce	Transfers (delivery of information comparison/products for parents and children affected by separation/divorce)	Part transfer (staying: policy maintenance of Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, repeal of (unimplemented) Part n Family Law Act 1996. Monitoring of delivery of Family Advice and Information Service (FAInS) by the Legal Services Commission)
Child Contact	Lead, (implementation of Government response to Children Act Sub-Committee (CASC), "Making Contact Work", Development of child contact services)	Contributes (through effective implementation of Section 8 Children Act 1989 in courts)
Child Safety	Lead, (implementation of CASC response in areas of Facilitation, enforcement and safety)	Contributes (through commencement of revised forms/rules in Section 8 proceedings)
Children's Private Law	Lead, (provision of information and other (non-court based) services to parents and children	Contributes (through court-based services)
CAFCASS	Lead, (both delivery by CAFCASS and operation of sponsor unit), and Lead (as link Minister) to CAFCASS Inspectorate in MCSI	Contributes (through courts, judiciary, magistracy (legal practitioners and other stakeholders)
Marriage and Relationship Support (MARS)	Lead, (through delivery of grant programme)	Contributes (informed by civil partnerships and cohabitation responsibilities)

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Lay Magistrates

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that lay magistrates are not discouraged by advice from their clerks from accepting invitations to accompany police patrols to experience crime and disorder at first hand. [131660]

Mr. Leslie: Successive Lord Chancellors have warned magistrates of the risks of participating in activities which might appear to undermine the independence of the bench. However, one of the strengths of the magistracy is that its members will have a wide range of experience of their local communities. Magistrates are encouraged to keep their knowledge up to date, and visits to areas with particular problems can do much to help. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State does not wish to discourage magistrates from seeing at first hand how the police work within the local community. This must, however, be achieved in ways which minimise the risks of their impartiality being called into question.

Mobile Phones

Mr. Flight: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what the cost was to his Department and its predecessor of mobile phones supplied to ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123145]

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Mr. Lammy: My Department has spent the following each year on mobile phones supplied to ministers and officials:

1997–98—n/a


1998–99—n/a


1999–2000—n/a


2000–01—n/a


2001–02—£3,632


2002–03—£7,610


2003–04—£4,944 (6 months April 03-September 03)

Figures are not available for the periods 1997–March 2001 without incurring disproportionate costs.

The figures shown above are from April 200land for each subsequent financial year. They include the cost of equipment, call charges and line rental fees.

Regulatory Bodies

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will list the (a) number of staff employed by and (b) budget of each regulatory body for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1997. [117779]

Mr. Lammy: Information on regulatory bodies is available in "Public Bodies", a publication produced annually by the Cabinet Office. This publication provides information on the size, spend and membership of public bodies in the UK and includes non-departmental public bodies. The current edition of the publication "Public Bodies 2003" is available in the House of Commons Library.

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