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19 Oct 2004 : Column 640W—continued

Judiciary (Equal Opportunities)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on his proposals to attract more (a) women, (b) ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people to the judiciary. [192706]

Mr. Leslie: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Redcar on 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 359W.

Lay Magistrates

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many lay magistrates have been recruited in (a) the London Borough of Havering, (b) Greater London and (c) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [192651]

Mr. Leslie: The numbers of magistrates recruited for each of the last 10 years in each area is:
Year endEngland and Wales(36)Greater LondonHavering
31 March 20041,7681577
31 March 20031,6851416
31 March 20021,7861614
31 March 20011,6181943
31 March 2000(37)1756
31 December 19991,743758
31 December 19981,609713
31 December 19971,3121084
31 December 19961,6821346
31 December 19951,843622


(36) Figures include the Duchy of Lancaster.
(37) Figures not available as the database was found to be inaccurate when the database was checked.

Lord Chancellor (Consultations)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what consultations the Lord Chancellor has had with Her Majesty the Queen in each of the past 12 months. [192654]

Mr. Leslie: By long-standing convention, communications between Ministers and Her Majesty The Queen are confidential. Information about any such consultations is exempt under Exemption 3 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (communications with the Royal Household).
 
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Queen's Counsel

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of practising barristers are Queen's Counsel. [192201]

Mr. Leslie: There are 13,985 practising barristers in England and Wales. 1,239 of these barristers (approximately 9 per cent.) are Queen's Counsel.

Unpaid Fines

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what percentage of fines were unpaid (a) fully and (b) partially in each of the last 15 years following a criminal conviction in England and Wales; [191799]

(2) how many fines were collected as a result of enforcement procedures in each of the last five years. [191801]

Mr. Leslie: Information on fines imposed and collected is provided by the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees (MCCs) in England and Wales. The following table shows the payment rate for the last five years—comparative data are not available for years prior to 1999–2000. Data regarding the proportion of fines that are unpaid (a) fully or (b) partially are not held centrally and could be made available only at disproportionate cost. However, data in the Home Office Research Paper, "Clearing the Debts: The Enforcement of Financial Penalties in Magistrates' Courts" (March 2003), indicate that 26 per cent. of fines are paid in full without the need for enforcement action, with the balance of the payment rate being the result of enforcement activity. The DCA's Enforcement Programme is working towards improving data collection for enforcement but this is reliant on the introduction of new IT systems, due from 2005.
PeriodPayment rate (percentage)
1999–2000(38)62
2000–01(38)63
2001–02(38)59
2002–03(38)55
2003–041,2,374
2004–05(40)78


(38) Payment rate (September 1999 to March 2003)
The primary indicator was the payment rate defined as the amount paid into court as a percentage of new amounts owed.
(39) Payment rate (April 2003 to-December 2003)
The calculation for the payment rate between April 2003 and, December 2003 was:
Payment rate = amount paid divided by new amount owed
(new amount owed excludes legally cancelled + civil + confiscation orders).
(40) Payment rate (January 2004 onwards)
Payment rate = amount paid divided by new amount owed
(new amount owed excludes legally cancelled + administratively cancelled + civil + confiscation orders).
Note:
Payment rate = amount paid divided by new amount owed.
(new amount owed excludes legally cancelled + administratively cancelled + civil + confiscation orders).


As a result of the revisions in the method of calculating the payment rate, direct year-on-year comparisons cannot be made.
 
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Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many fines imposed following a criminal conviction were (a) fully and (b) partially written off in each of the last 15 years. [191800]

Mr. Leslie: One of the key points in the 7-point action plan I announced in June 2003 was that fines will no longer be written off. They will be chased until they are paid. The new policy to deliver this was introduced on 5 January and from that date fines can no longer be written off, though there are limited circumstances where they can be administratively cancelled, for example, where the defaulter is deceased, has been sent to a mental health institution for 12 months or more, has emigrated or is a limited company which has been wound up with no goods on which to levy distress. Figures relating to the number of fines imposed written off prior to 5 January 2004 are not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq Survey Group

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight, Official Report, 13 October 2004, column 284, what brief the Iraq Survey Group had in relation to securing weapons of mass destruction sites when it began its work in Iraq; and what arrangements were in place between the fall of the Saddam regime and the commencement of the group's work. [192725]

The Prime Minister: The Iraq Survey Group was formed on 1 June 2003 to begin a more systematic collection of evidence to build an understanding of Iraqi WMD programs. The physical security of sites was the responsibility of coalition forces from the end of the conflict until the establishment of the Iraq Interim Government.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Carbon Sequestration

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the practical possibilities offered by carbon sequestration, in terms of tackling climate change. [191183]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 15 October 2004]: We have already published a report considering the Feasibility of Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK which can be found in the Libraries of the House or at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/co2capture/review.pdf. The report concluded that Carbon Capture and Storage could be an effective means for reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuel power generation and could contribute to the Government's longer-term target of a 60 per cent. reduction by 2050, although there are a number of issues which need to be addressed in the meanwhile before it can become a reality.
 
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A Carbon Abatement Technology Strategy is currently being developed by the DTI which will be published at the turn of the year, this will include in its scope Carbon Capture and Storage technologies.

Company Data Protection

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department is taking to allay customer concerns about the adequacy of data protection by companies that have moved parts of their business offshore. [190886]

Mr. Alexander: UK companies who control data remain responsible, under the Data Protection Act, for how data is processed overseas on their behalf. They remain bound by the requirements of the Data Protection Act, in particular the Act's requirement for data to be kept secure. The method of transfer must include measures to ensure the security of the processing and security against breaches of the Act. Companies must also be open with individuals about how information they collect on them is intended to be used.


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