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8 Feb 2005 : Column 1369W—continued
Chartered Aircraft
Chris Grayling: To ask the Leader of the House how much money his Office has spent on chartering aircraft in each of the past five years. [213719]
8 Feb 2005 : Column 1370W
Travel by Ministers makes clear that special flights may be authorised when a scheduled service is not available, or when it is essential to travel by air, but the requirements of official or parliamentary business or security considerations or urgency preclude the journey being made by a scheduled service. In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The list published in 1999 covers the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999. Where RAF/Private Charter aircraft are used this is shown in the list. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2004–05 will be published in due course.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Appeal Judges (Training)
28. Mr. Watts : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what advice and training is being provided to appeal judges on implementing new legislation aimed at combating antisocial behaviour and illegal drug use. [214433]
Mr. Leslie: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board which is an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene. The Judicial Studies Board provides dedicated training on antisocial behaviour issues to civil judges who will hear such cases at first instance and on appeal. Training for judges in the criminal courts, who would hear appeals against sentence in the magistrates courts, include sessions on antisocial behaviour orders and on drug use and offending
Mental Capacity Bill
29. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions he has held with the Archbishop of Cardiff regarding the Mental Capacity Bill. [214434]
Mr. Lammy: My ministerial colleagues and I continue to discuss this important Bill with a very wide range of stakeholders, including the Catholic Church.
On 25 January Clause 4 of the Bill was amended in the other place to fulfil the commitments that I made on Report. The amendment to clause 4 makes it explicit that a desire to bring about a person's death cannot affect the process of determining what is in his best interests.
I am pleased that these amendments have been welcomed in the other place and by Archbishop Peter Smith.
House of Lords Reform
32. Andy Burnham:
To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs if he
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will make a statement on further reform of the House of Lords and indirect elections to that House. [214437]
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs when he plans to bring forward legislation to reform the composition of the House of Lords. [214427]
Mr. Leslie: There continue to be a wide range of views on the proper functions, powers and composition of the House of Lords. We have made it clear that we intend to return to the issue of House of Lords reform in the context of our Manifesto.
County Courts
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Government are taking to enable court cases to be heard more quickly by county courts. [214432]
Mr. Leslie:
The Government recognise the need to remove any unnecessary delays in the civil and family courts, especially in vulnerable cases involving child welfare issues. We are aiming to increase the proportion
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of cases completed in 40 weeks by 10 per cent. in the family proceedings courts over the current spending review period.
Departmental Spending
Mr. Laws: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what his latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 2005–06, (b) 2006–07, and (c) 2007–08; and if he will make a statement. [213260]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 2 February 2005, Official Report, column 910W.
In-house Magazines
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997. [213642]
Mr. Lammy: Costs incurred by my Department for producing in-house magazines are detailed in the following table.
(4)DCA HQ December to March only. Lord Chancellor's Department changed accounting systems in November 1998–99.
(5)First edition.
(6)Photocopying costs only, no editorial, design or print costs as this is produced entirely by the internal communications team
(7)Yield to date
Staff Training
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs what the costs of departmental (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department were in each year since 1997. [213791]
Mr. Lammy: The costs of (a) staff training days and (b) staff development days held away from the Department in each year since 1997 are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts without incurring disproportionate costs.
The Department is committed to providing access to training for staff and developing them to their full potential.
PRIME MINISTER
Correspondence
Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North Norfolk of 5 January entitled, Chequers: Parliamentary Ombudsman's Decision. [215065]
The Prime Minister: A reply has been sent. A copy of the reply has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Aerospace Industry (Lancashire)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of jobs (a) in the aerospace industry in Lancashire and (b) dependent on the aerospace industry in Lancashire. [212094]
Jacqui Smith: In 2003 there were 17,622 employees working in SIC 353 (manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft) in Lancashire, including the unitary authorities of Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen 1 . No estimates have been made of jobs, wherever located, dependent on the aerospace industry in Lancashire.
National Statistics, NOMIS.
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Corruption
Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing international trade barriers on reducing corruption in developing countries. [212131]
Mr. Alexander: None. However, a number of international organisations have examined the theoretical links between trade barriers and corruption, and a 1998 empirical study by the OECD Development Centre, entitled Determinants of Customs Fraud and Corruption: Evidence from Two African Countries," concluded that
protectionist trade policies promote customs fraud by increasing the incentive for private citizens to engage in illegal behaviour and for government officials to abuse their office for personal, pecuniary gain."
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