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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
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
All	8.9	8.9	9.4	9.4	9.4	9.4	9.5	9.8
Edinburgh, Central	1.3	1.2	1.3	1.2	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.4
Edinburgh, East and Mussleburgh	1.6	1.7	1.8	1.8	1.8	2.0	1.6	1.8
Edinburgh, North and Leigh	1.7	1.5	1.8	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.6
Edinburgh, Pentlands	1.1	1.2	1.3	1.2	1.3	1.4	1.5	1.5
Edinburgh, South	1.9	1.8	1.9	2.0	2.0	1.9	1.8	1.7
Edinburgh, West	1.2	1.4	1.5	1.6	1.4	1.3	1.7	1.7

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:

The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question regarding which days since 1 July the customer service computer was not working in the Cardiff office of the Appeals Service for Disability Living Allowance.

The computer system in Cardiff has been fully operational and available for use each day since 1 July. However, the issue as I understand it concerns the external customer contact email address for that office.

For a period between the end of June to the end of July, emails sent to the Cardiff office email address were not monitored or actioned due to an administrative reorganisation within the office. I can only apologise for this error but can confirm that during this period, all other channels of communication were functioning as normal.

I hope this reply is helpful.

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.

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Aylesbury	648	943	963	3057	2393
Milton Keynes	905	945	1268	779	0

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

		2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
District Office:	Exam Centre:
Aylesbury	Aylesbury	594	827	876	1496	1331
Aylesbury	Euston	0	13	9	5	8
Aylesbury	Luton	21	62	59	70	52
Aylesbury	Other	33	41	19	1486	1002
	Total	648	943	963	3057	2393
Milton Keynes	Aylesbury	816	384	662	582	—
Milton Keynes	Euston	2	3	2	3	—
Milton Keynes	Luton	37	491	487	158	—
Milton Keynes	Other	50	67	117	36	—
	Total	905	945	1268	779	—

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 West	19
North East	5
Yorkshire/Humberside	15
East Midlands	3
East of England	24
West Midlands	12
South East	38
South West	13
London	147
Scotland	19
Wales	9
Northern Ireland	9
Judicial (no home address)	10

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