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Legal Services Commission
Ross Cranston:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what amount remains outstanding to the Legal Services Commission
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under the statutory charge at the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps it is taking to recover this. [201914]
Mr. Lammy: At the end of the financial year 2003–04 the value of debt due to the Legal Services Commission (LSC) under the statutory charge was £264 million. This included £50 million of interest that had accrued upon the debt.
The debt is secured by the registration of a statutory charge against property and is not generally collectable immediately. Under existing regulations, the LSC has no discretion to enforce repayment of the debt until the charged property is re-mortgaged, sold or upon the death of the client. When one of these events occurs, the Land Registry notifies the LSC and recovery procedures commence.
In order to keep funded clients informed about their debt, and to facilitate early repayment, the LSC has commenced sending out annual statements to clients setting out amounts owed, including accrued interest and offering clients the opportunity to make payment in full or by instalment of their debt.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Llew Smith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs by what methods charters establishing non-departmental public bodies may be revoked. [202786]
Mr. Leslie: Charters may be revoked by Act of Parliament or by Order in council and may also be surrendered.
Office of Public Guardianship
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what budget has been allocated to the Legal Services Commission in each of the last two years; and how many staff have been employed by the Commission in each year. [201899]
Mr. Lammy: The budget allocated to the Legal Services Commission for the current financial year (in resource and cash terms) is as follows:
The number of staff employed (in terms of full-time equivalents) by the Legal Services Commission, for the last two years, are as follows:
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [202255]
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Mr. Leslie: Between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, special advisers in the Department for Constitutional Affairs travelled in an official capacity on the following domestic and international visits:
All travel by special advisers was undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code, and the Civil Service Management Code.
Televising Trials
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make it his policy to allow the televising of trials. [203038]
Mr. Leslie: On 15 November we issued a consultation paper on the complex and sensitive question of broadcasting court proceedings. When this consultation is complete, we will be in a position to consider whether allowing trials, or parts of trials, to be televised would be beneficial or detrimental to justice.
Training Courses
Charles Hendry: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by his Department for its staff in each financial year since 1997–98. [200329]
Mr. Lammy: My Department is unable to provide a full reply to this question without incurring disproportionate cost. My Department uses the services of external training providers on occasions when there is a training need that cannot be met by the in-house training function, or when there is a specialist training need for which it would not be cost-effective to develop in-house training.
We are able to provide a single, overall, expenditure figure for each financial year since 1998–99 (my Department's accounting systems changed during 1997–98) for external training organised for my Department (and LCD) staff in the following table. These figures include courses organised by all parts of the Department.
| Financial year | Total amount (£) |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 919,389 |
| 1999–2000 | 700,288 |
| 2000–01 | 1,661,185 |
| 2001–02 | 1,595,018 |
| 2002–03 | 2,043,701 |
| 2003–04 | 2,916,160 |
(14) Taken from the DCA's Operating Cost Statements, showing amounts accounted for, for all external training where VAT has been charged.
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Charles Hendry: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what financial penalties were paid in each financial year since 1997–98 to training providers by the Department for training courses prepared for its staff which were subsequently cancelled at the Department's request. [200401]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has paid no fixed penalties to training providers in the period stated.
My Department is committed to providing access to relevant training for all of its staff; that commitment extends to looking for options other than cancellation of training courses should staff be unable to attend.
PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements over the past six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register to disclose such information. [202789]
The Prime Minister: I meet many individuals and organisations and attend many functions relating to Government business and as part of the process of policy development. To provide the detailed information requested would incur disproportionate cost. The daily on-the-record briefing by my Official Spokesman regularly provides details of my public engagements.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether he has been informed of breaches of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers in his Office since its implementation; [201274]
(2) how many appeals were made by civil servants to the Civil Service Commissioners regarding special advisers in his Office between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004; and when each appeal was lodged. [201368]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly) today.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 his special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [202264]
The Prime Minister: Information on the travel and accommodation for special advisers who accompanied me on overseas visits are included in the list of Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers 2003–04, copies of which are available in Libraries of the House.
Further information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.
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