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14 Sept 2004 : Column 1560W—continued

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been in receipt of attendance allowance in the (a) Edinburgh, Central, (b) Edinburgh, North and Leith, (c) Edinburgh, West, (d) Edinburgh, Pentlands, (e) Edinburgh, South and (f) Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh parliamentary constituencies in each year since 1997. [187947]

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
People in receipt of attendance allowance by parliamentary constituency as at February on a yearly basis since 1997

Thousand
19971998199920002001200220032004
All8.98.99.49.49.49.49.59.8
Edinburgh, Central1.31.21.31.21.41.31.31.4
Edinburgh, East and Mussleburgh1.61.71.81.81.82.01.61.8
Edinburgh, North and Leigh1.71.51.81.61.51.51.51.6
Edinburgh, Pentlands1.11.21.31.21.31.41.51.5
Edinburgh, South1.91.81.92.02.01.91.81.7
Edinburgh, West1.21.41.51.61.41.31.71.7




Note:
Figures taken from a 5 per cent. sample at February of each year. From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported case load. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
Source:
IAD Information Centre.




Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates since 1 July the customer service computer was not working in the Cardiff Office of the Appeals Service for disability living allowance. [188820]

Maria Eagle: The administration of the Appeals Service is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Appeals Service, Christina Townsend. She will now write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. Adrian Flook, dated 14 September 2004:

Benefit Claimants

Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to applications for benefits from residents of (a) Aylesbury and (b) Milton Keynes in each year since 2000, how many applicants
 
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were required to take a medical examination; what benefits were applied for that required a medical examination; and how many of those medical examinations were undertaken at (i) Luton, (ii) Aylesbury and (iii) Euston. [187566]


 
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Maria Eagle: The available information is in the following tables.

The only benefit requiring a medical examination dealt with by Aylesbury and Milton Keynes district offices is incapacity benefit.
Incapacity benefit claimants, whose claims were administered by Aylesbury or Milton Keynes district offices and whohad medical examinations.

20002001200220032004
Aylesbury64894396330572393
Milton Keynes90594512687790

Location of Medical Examination Centres carrying out examinations of incapacity benefit claimants from Aylesbury andMilton Keynes district offices.

20002001200220032004
District Office:Exam Centre:
AylesburyAylesbury59482787614961331
AylesburyEuston013958
AylesburyLuton2162597052
AylesburyOther33411914861002
Total64894396330572393
Milton KeynesAylesbury816384662582
Milton KeynesEuston2323
Milton KeynesLuton37491487158
Milton KeynesOther506711736
Total9059451268779




Notes:
1.The Department for Work and Pensions centralised work for Milton Keynes at Aylesbury from 1 July 2003. Medical Services are therefore unable to give specific figures relating to applicants of Milton Keynes in 2004 as all work is referred to Medical Services from Aylesbury.
2. The other category includes where a customer has had a Domiciliary visit or visited another Medical Examination Centre apart from Luton, Aylesbury or Milton Keynes.
3. The "other" category for Aylesbury district office cases in 2003 and 2004 is high as it contains 1447 (2003) and 954 (2004) customers who attended Oxford Medical Examination Centre. These customers attended Oxford as they live in Oxford but the referrals show as Aylesbury due to centralisation; the Department for Work and Pensions centralised work for Oxford at Aylesbury in 2003.
Source:
Medical Services data




CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Clinical and Educational Negligence

Mr. Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the consultation on removing eligibility from children and placing it on parents in the case of clinical and educational negligence cases; and what assessment has been made of the implications of using conditional fee agreements in such cases. [188408]

Mr. Lammy: We have no plans to remove the financial eligibility for legal aid from children and place it on their parents. In November 2002 we consulted on revising the guidance in relation to funding judicial review applications in the name of the child, which had particular relevance in education cases. The revised guidance was implemented from April 2003. The Legal Services Commission has issued a consultation paper, "A New Focus for Civil Legal Aid—encouraging early resolution; discouraging unnecessary litigation" which contains proposals on the use of conditional fee agreements generally, and the appropriate balance between private and public funding. The consultation closes on 15 October and we will announce the way forward thereafter.

District Judges

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many district judges are employed in the criminal jurisdiction of England and Wales; and how many there were in 1997. [188981]

Mr. Leslie: As at 1 September 2004 there were 126 district judges (magistrates courts) and 148 deputy district judges (magistrates courts) in post, in the Magistrates Courts of England and Wales. Prior to 2000, district judges and deputy district judges were formerly known as stipendiary magistrates and acting stipendiary magistrates. In 1997 there were 91 stipendiary magistrates and 85 acting stipendiary magistrates.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Visits

Sue Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister whether he sanctioned the visits of any members of his Government to (a) the Democrat and (b) the Republican conventions in the United States. [188110]


 
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The Prime Minister: No member of the Government attended in an official Government capacity the Democratic or Republican conventions in the United States.

Peerages

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Prime Minister what the place of residence, at the time of their elevation, was of each peer created since 1 May 1997, broken down by (a) nation within the UK and (b) region of England, for peers resident in England at the time of elevation. [188266]

The Prime Minister: 323 people have been elevated to the peerage since 1 May 1997.

The place of residence at the time of their elevation is shown in the following table. Information for judicial peers is not held in the format requested.
Residence at time of elevation

Number
England
North West19
North East5
Yorkshire/Humberside15
East Midlands3
East of England24
West Midlands12
South East38
South West13
London147
Scotland19
Wales9
Northern Ireland9
Judicial (no home address)10


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