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CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Fines (Magistrates Courts)

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was collected in fines at magistrates courts in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion was allocated to (a) central Treasury funds and (b) local crime prevention schemes. [155953]

Mr. Leslie: Information on fines imposed and collected is provided by the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees in England and Wales.

In 2002–03 fines income from Magistrates Courts amounted to £121,202,780 of which £43,679,000 was used to fund enforcement activity. The balance of £77,523,780 was allocated to central Treasury funds.

In 2002–03, the Home Office provided funding direct to local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales as follows:

Communities Against Drugs—£50 million (plus a special one-off uplift of £20 million in 2002–03 as part of the street crime initiative)

The Safer Communities Initiative—£20 million.

Judiciary (Northern Ireland)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many members of judicial offices in Northern Ireland are (a) female and (b) from an ethnic minority. [156976]

Mr. Leslie: Taking both full-time and deputy judicial posts there are 19 female members of the judiciary. This represents 16 per cent. of the overall total.

There are no members of the full-time and deputy judiciary in Northern Ireland from a minority ethnic background.

Legal Aid

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been paid to the Community Law Partnership of Birmingham by the Legal Services Commission and the Legal Aid Board in each of the last five accounting years for which figures are available; how many cases there were; what proportion of the sum in each year was paid to the Community Law Partnership for cases brought by or against (a) travellers or traveller families and (b) local and public authorities, broken down by authority; how many cases there were in each year; and how many of the cases funded in each year resulted in (i) a satisfied order for costs being made in favour of the client represented by the Community Law Partnership and (ii) an irrecoverable financial loss to the Legal Aid Board or the Legal Services Commission. [156529]

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Mr. Lammy: The Community Law Partnership of Birmingham registered with the then Legal Aid Board in December 1998. Total payments made to the organisation for each full financial year since 1999–2000 were as follows.

	£
1999–2000	233,059
2000–01	432,229
2001–02	412,452
2002–03	802,849

The number of Legal Help matters started by the Community Law Partnership of Birmingham since 2000–01, the first full year of the Legal Services Commission's contracting system, were as follows:

	Number
2000–01	1,340
2001–02	932
2002–03	929

Certificates issued to the Community Law Partnership:

	Number
1998–99	49
1999–2000	252
2000–01	264
2001–02	326
2002–03	331
2003–04 (to 31 December 2003)	248
Total (1998 to December 2004)	1,470

For Legal Help cases, the Legal Services Commission does not record any client details which identify the client's background, or any information on the identity of whom the case was brought against.

For the number of cases funded in each year which resulted in (i) a satisfied order for costs being made in favour of the client represented by the Community Law Partnership and (ii) an irrecoverable financial loss to the Legal Aid Board or the Legal Services Commission, please refer to the following table.

	Cases settled at nocost to the Fund		Cases closed with norecovery of costs ordamages
	Number	Face value (£)	Number	Net cost (£)
1998–99	0	—	1	2,400
1999–2000	27	108,300	73	65,300
2000–01	57	210,000	147	195,500
2001–02	60	237,300	152	227,500
2002–03	48	222,500	170	280,700
	2003–04 (to December 2004)49		218,200	159	296,700
	Total (1998 December 2004)241		996,300	702	1,068,100

Ian Lucas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average

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cost is per case for magistrates courts criminal cases in England and Wales of payments under the legal aid scheme to solicitors in private practice. [156756]

Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to his question on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1671W.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many days on average his Department took in Session 2002–03 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary Question for Ordinary Written Answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a Question was. [155916]

Mr. Leslie: On average, my Department took 6.6 sitting days to give a substantive answer to a Parliamentary Question for Ordinary Written Answer. The greatest number of days taken to answer an Ordinary Written Question was 55 sitting days.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what his Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising. [155521]

Mr. Lammy: Information about recruitment advertising costs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Voting

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to introduce all-postal voting in trial constituencies for the next general election; and if he will make a statement. [157304]

Mr. Leslie: None. A Bill proposing the conduct of all-postal pilots in selected electoral regions in this year's European parliamentary elections in June is currently under parliamentary consideration. Subject to the Bill's successful passage, the independent Electoral Commission will assess those schemes which are conducted. We will consider carefully the Commission's assessment and any recommendations before considering any extension of pilot schemes to parliamentary elections.

Mark Tami: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment the Department has made of (a) incentive schemes and (b) payments to encourage voter participation. [156535]

Mr. Leslie: None. Any gift or promise of a gift of money, or any other 'Valuable consideration', to an elector is regarded under electoral legislation as a bribe even if the gift is made simply to encourage the elector to vote or refrain from voting. This is a basic feature of any democratic electoral system which purports to be

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open and fair to all electors. Paying electors or offering gifts to turn out to vote would be likely to increase the likelihood of electoral abuse and fraud.

Mark Tami: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research the Department has collated into the propensity to vote of different social-economic groups. [156536]

Mr. Leslie: None. The Government are able to draw from research undertaken by the independent Electoral Commission on the voting intentions of electors for the European parliamentary and London's Mayoral and Assembly elections in 2004 in its report, 'Public Opinion and the 2004 Elections'. The Commission has also published the reports 'Voter Engagement and Young People' and 'Voter engagement among Black and Minority Ethnic Communities' on those groups in society widely recognised as less likely to vote.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Cheadle Royal Hospital

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February, 2004 Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, (1) what assessment he has made of the full market value at the time of its transfer to AMEC in 1994 of charity land at Cheadle Royal Hospital which has become a 67 acre business park; [155606]

(2) pursuant to the Answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, what assessment he has made of the full market value of Cheadle Royal Hospital grounds and associated buildings at the time of its management buy-out in 1997; [155607]

(3) pursuant to the Answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, which documents he has assessed to reach his conclusions. [155609]

Fiona Mactaggart: These are matters for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Director of Operations will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my reply will be placed in the Library.

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, what assessment he has made of the scrutiny arrangements with respect to the work of the Charity Commission. [155608]

Fiona Mactaggart: The Commission must report annually to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State who lays the report before Parliament. The Commission is audited by the National Audit Office, answers to the courts for its legal decisions and falls within the remit of the Public Accounts Committee. It has introduced administrative arrangements for challenge and review of

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formal decisions, and complaints systems including an independent reviewer. In respect of its administrative actions it comes within the investigative powers of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit's review of charity law and regulation recommended that it should continue to operate at arms' length from Ministers, with a modernised statement of purpose and accountability framework. The Government accepted these recommendations ("Charities and Not-for-Profits: A Modern Legal Framework", July 2003) and they will be reflected in the draft Charities Bill that will be published in the current Session.

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