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Access to Justice

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures are being taken to increase access to justice for the disadvantaged. [146667]

Mr. Lammy: Since the introduction of the Community Legal Service (CLS) in 2000, it has improved access for those who are financially eligible to good quality civil legal and advice services. In many areas local CLS providers have linked up with other government programmes jointly to help people climb out of social exclusion.

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Spending on the CLS in 2002–03 totalled £814 million and is expected to rise to £913 million for 2003–04. The eligibility criteria for assistance and the identification of priority unmet need within CLS Partnership Strategic Plans ensure that help is given to those most in need.

For the Criminal Defence Service (CDS), the Legal Services Commission manages contracts with solicitors' offices which provide a comprehensive national network of quality assured legal services. It has established a Public Defender Service in eight offices. Outside the major urban areas, and particularly in rural areas, the Commission continues to provide CDS arrangements which support and encourage supply in ways which recognise the need for access to quality services. Spending on the CDS in 2002–03 totalled £1,095.7 million and is expected to rise to £1,202.9 million for 2003–04.

My Department and the Commission, with the help of independent consultants, is carrying out a major review of the CLS, including an examination of the extent to which the CLS ensures access to justice, and a review of supply, demand and purchasing arrangements for both the CLS and the CDS. We hope to publish the findings on the reviews soon.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Department is taking to ensure access to justice. [146675]

Mr. Lammy: My Department, together with the Legal Services Commission, continues to develop the Community Legal Service (CLS). The CLS ensures that publicly funded legal services are targeted more effectively at areas of priority need as identified at a local level by Community Legal Service Partnerships. Since the launch of the CLS in April 2000 more than 200 Community Legal Service Partnerships have been set up, covering more than 99 per cent. of the population of England and Wales. Spending on the CLS in 2002–03 totalled £814 million and is expected to reach £913 million in 2003–04.

For the Criminal Defence Service the Legal Services Commission manages contracts with solicitors' offices which provide a comprehensive national network of quality assured legal services. It has established a Public Defender Service in eight offices. Outside the major urban areas, and particularly in rural areas, the Commission continues to provide CDS arrangements which support and encourage supply in ways which recognise the need for access to quality services. Spending on the CDS in 2002–03 totalled £1,095.7 million and is expected to rise to £1,202.9 million for 2003–04.

My Department and the Commission, with the help of independent consultants, is carrying out a major reviews of CLS, including an examination of the extent to which the CLS ensures access to justice and of supply, demand and purchasing arrangements for both the CLS and the CDS. We hope to be able to publish the findings on the reviews in due course.

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the funding allocation for video equipment in courts was for each of the last seven years; and by what percentage it changed in each of those years relative to the proceeding year. [147675]

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Mr. Leslie: Prior to 2000, funding for video equipment was provided from local budgets and there is no central record of overall expenditure.

My Department spending on video equipment for prison links vulnerable and intimidated witness cases, electronic presentation of evidence cases and playback of police interviews is shown in the following table.

	Amount (£)	Percentage change
2000–01	1,350,000	—
2001–02	5,170,000	282
2002–03	2,950,000	-42
2003–04	5,700,000	93

Courts Service

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what system is in place within the Department to ensure that concerns about practical issues impacting negatively on the business of courts from those judges responsible for modernisation in the courts are brought to the attention of the relevant Minister and responded to accordingly. [147667]

Mr. Leslie: The Secretary of State and Ministers meet senior members of the judiciary periodically, and modernisation issues are among those discussed.

In addition, we have agreed and put in place detailed consultation arrangements with the judiciary to ensure their views are reflected fully in the modernisation programme. I am briefed by officials on issues arising from these consultations.

Departmental Relocation

Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what assessment the Department has made of the benefits of relocation of staff to North Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement; [146859]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals to relocate Government jobs on the Department's ability to meet (a) departmental policy objectives and (b) departmental public service agreements; [146875]

(3) what assessment the Department has made of the effect of possible relocation of staff in the Department to North Staffordshire on (a) job creation, (b) sustainable development, (c) the local economy and (d) tackling regional economic disparities; and if he will make a statement; [146889]

(4) what plans he has to establish procedures for assessing the impact of possible re-location of staff in the Department to the regions; and if he will make a statement. [146919]

Mr. Leslie: I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 516W.

Ms Walley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many staff in the Department work in (a) the West Midlands and (b) North Staffordshire. [146904]

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Mr. Leslie: The Department and its agencies (the Court Service and the Public Guardianship Office) employs:

(a) 689 staff in West Midlands, of which 49 are casual employees and


(b) 159 staff in Staffordshire of which eight are casual employees.

Electoral Fraud

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications for entry on the electoral register have been found to be fraudulent since 1997. [148725]

Mr. Leslie: This information is not collected centrally. In its report on the electoral registration process, published in May 2003, the independent Electoral Commission commented that the number of electoral fraud prosecutions in Great Britain is small.

Euro

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs in how many speeches during 2003 (a) he and (b) the Secretary of State declared support for the Government's policy on the euro. [147300]

Mr. Leslie: I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 516W.

Gender Recognition

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent steps the Department has taken to promote gender recognition. [146668]

Mr. Lammy: The Department for Constitutional Affairs is responsible for Government policy on transsexual people and for the Gender Recognition Bill. The Bill, which was introduced in the House of Lords on 27 November, will see the advancement of the rights of transsexual people by giving them legal recognition in their acquired gender. From the inception in 1999 of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Transsexual People the Government have been careful to take into account the views of all those with an interest in transsexual issues, supporters and opponents. Transsexual people are a small minority group in our society and the issues around the recognition of an acquired gender are often unfamiliar to those not directly affected. Accordingly, the Government have worked closely with individual transsexual people and their representative organisations to better understand the issues and to ensure that the Bill strikes a sensible balance between their rights and the rights of others. The Department's promotion of gender recognition issues has been limited to correspondence and meetings with the transsexual community and those who have

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expressed views on Transsexual policy and the Bill. My Department will continue to ensure that it regularly updates its website on transsexual issues, including the Gender Recognition Bill.

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