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8 Dec 2005 : Column 1532W—continued

Judges

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of disabled people serving as judges. [26630]

Ms Harman: My Department has been working with organisations and individuals with an expertise or interest in, or experience of, disability, including the Disability Rights Commission and a number of serving judges, to develop an action plan to promote judicial appointment to potential candidates who are disabled, and to ensure that issues of reasonable adjustment are properly dealt with, both for disabled candidates and for serving judges who have or develop a disability. The action plan was published on my Department's website (www.dca.gov.uk) on 2 November and I have today placed a copy in the Libraries of both Houses.

The same organisations and individuals will be involved in implementing the action plan, through a joint working group with departmental officials.

Land Registry Adjudicator

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Adjudicator to the Land Registry was appointed; how many cases have been referred to him; how many cases have been resolved; and what the average length of time taken to resolve each case has been since the appointment of the Adjudicator. [33605]

Ms Harman: The Adjudicator, Mr. Cousins, was appointed to post in September 2003. The Office of the Adjudicator to HM Land Registry came into force in October 2003.

From October 2003 until October 2005 the total number of cases referred to the office of the Adjudicator to HM Land Registry was 2,853.

From October 2003 until October 2005 a total of 2,059 cases have been disposed of.

The information requested for the average length of time to resolve each case cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
 
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Legal Services (Ribble Valley)

Mr. Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has for a specialist domestic violence court in Ribble Valley. [34521]

Bridget Prentice: The Department for Constitutional Affairs wrote to all magistrates courts committees on 15 December 2004 asking for expressions of interest in setting up a specialist DV court (SDVC).

The Lancashire area was among those who responded and included in the selection process for establishing 25 specialist domestic violence court systems across England and Wales.

Lancashire has a roll out programme in place for SDVC's across the Criminal Justice Area, Ribble Valley is included.

The timing for the setting up of individual courts is currently being decided between the Government Office for the North West Region and the Local Criminal Justice Boards and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships within the area.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of the magistrates sitting at Ribble Valley magistrates courts are female. [34522]

Ms Harman: The Ribble Valley is covered by the Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley Local Justice Area.

72 out of 157 magistrates (45.9 per cent.) in the Blackburn, Darwen and Ribble Valley are female.

Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether victims in cases covered by the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill are included in the proposals made in the consultation document Hearing the Relatives of Murder and Manslaughter Victims"; and if she will make a statement. [34419]

Ms Harman: The proposals for victims' advocates set out in the consultation paper Hearing the Relatives of Murder and Manslaughter Victims" apply to cases tried only in England and Wales.

Rape Trials

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many rape trials in which all proceedings are complete have been conducted in (a) Darlington Crown court, (b) Carlisle Crown court, (c) Newcastle Crown court and (d) York Crown court under the revised definition of that offence in the Sexual Offences Act 2003; and what verdicts have been returned in each case. [35292]

Ms Harman: Departmental records show the following figures for completed rape trials and their verdict under the revised definition of that offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 at Carlisle Crown court, Newcastle Crown court and York Crown court. We cannot supply figures for Darlington, as the Crown court does not sit there.
 
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	Carlisle	Newcastle	York
Trials	7	9	11
Acquittal	3	4	7
Conviction	4	5	3
Jury unable to agree	—	—	1

Royal Marriage

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether HRH the Prince of Wales asked (a) before and (b) since his marriage in April that legislation be introduced to make his marriage morganatic; and if she will make a statement. [35852]

Ms Harman: No.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how adults without a qualification at level 2 are prioritised in the (a) learndirect and (b) nextstep services. [36046]

Phil Hope: The Learning and Skills Council delivers an integrated information and advice service on learning and work through the national learndirect telephone and online service, and 47 local nextstep partnerships. The information services which learndirect and nextstep provide are freely available to all adults, and there is no prioritisation. The more resource intensive advice services which learndirect and nextstep deliver are targeted primarily on those who do not have a full level 2 qualification, since they are more likely to lack the skills foundation for employability and lifelong learning. Within those who lack a full level 2, nextstep face-to-face advice services are further prioritised towards people aged 50 and over, or who have learning difficulties or disabilities.

Autism

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government have approved the Son-Rise programme for public funding for the treatment of autism. [34571]

Maria Eagle: It is for schools and local authorities to decide on provision for children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in individual cases. The Option (Son-Rise) programme is one of the interventions listed in my Department's and the Department of Health's Good Practice Guidance on ASDs as an intervention which is available to use for individual children. The guidance makes clear that listing does not constitute an endorsement of the intervention by the Department's Autism Working Group. A number of local authorities have funded Son-Rise programmes for individual children through statements of special educational needs.
 
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Childminders

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been given to support childminder networks in (a) Leeds and (b) Leeds West constituency in 2005–06. [35142]

Beverley Hughes: Developing robust childminder networks attached to children's centres and extended schools is one of the objectives set out in the 10 year strategy for childcare. The Government have given local authorities the scope to use funding flexibly to develop and sustain childcare services, rather than allocate funds for specific purposes. Leeds city council will receive 405,982 over 2004–06 for the sustainability element of their Sure Start general grant. They will decide how much is required to support childminder networks, and where to direct this funding. The council can also use a proportion of their children's centre revenue funding (£1,615,171 over 2004–06) on network development to meet the requirement to integrate childminders with children's centre services.

Leeds city council currently supports a city-wide network of 125 childminders using Sure Start funding. Work to link these childminders closely with children's centres and extended schools is ongoing, including the five centres developing in the Leeds West constituency.

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