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31 Jan 2006 : Column 417W—continued

Judicial Correspondence Unit

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many members of the Judicial Correspondence Unit took (a) voluntary early severance and (b) early retirement in each year since 1997. [47505]

Ms Harman: The Department's records do not show that any members of the Judicial Correspondence Unit have taken voluntary early severance or early retirement since 1997.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many disciplinary actions against officials employed by the Judicial Correspondence
 
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Unit (a) were commenced and (b) resulted in a sanction being applied in each of the last five years for which information is available. [47506]

Ms Harman: Data for the number of employees (in any part of the Department for Constitutional Affairs) against whom disciplinary action has been commenced, or in respect of whom disciplinary sanctions, short of dismissal, have been applied are only recorded on individual files. These are retained for the appropriate period before removal and destruction in compliance with the Department's obligations under the Data Protection Act. It is not therefore possible to obtain this information without incurring disproportionate costs.

Legal Aid

John Bercow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on legal aid in each year since 1998. [46152]

Bridget Prentice: Legal Aid cash expenditure in each year since 1998 was as follows:
£ million
1997–981,525
1998–991,623
1999–20001,551
2000–011,664
2001–021,716
2002–031,908
2003–042,077
2004–052,037

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the savings that would have been made had means testing for legal aid in (a) magistrates courts and (b) Crown courts not been abolished in 2001; and if she will make a statement. [47334]

Bridget Prentice: I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost of legal aid in Northern Ireland has been since 2002–03. [46521]

Bridget Prentice: The cost of legal aid in Northern Ireland each year since 2002–03 is as follows:
£ million
Amount
2002–0345.0
2003–0449.8
2004–0558.6

New Magistrates Court (High Peak)

Tom Levitt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she expects to announce a timetable for the development of the new magistrates court at New Mills, High Peak. [46179]

Ms Harman: My Department is unable to say when it will be able to proceed with the construction of a new courthouse in New Mills until the outstanding
 
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application under Section 13 of the Commons Registration Act 1965 is determined by the Derbyshire county council.

Queens' Counsel

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of the English Bar are Queen's Counsel. [46533]

Ms Harman: There are currently 14,623 members of the England and Wales Bar, of whom 11,796 are independent barristers in private practice and 2,827 are employed. 1,134 are Queen's Counsel, which is 7.8 per cent. of the total and 9.6 per cent. of the independent Bar.

Small Claims Court (Gloucester)

Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the waiting time from allocation to hearing for small claims at Gloucester County Court was in the last period for which figures are available. [46371]

Ms Harman: The average waiting time from allocation to hearing for small claims at Gloucester County Court for the period April to December 2005 was 10.3 weeks.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Bedroom Standard

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many children in the south east region were living in accommodation one or more bedrooms below the bedroom standard in the most recent year for which figures are available. [47508]

Yvette Cooper: Using data from the Survey of English Housing it is estimated that over the three-year period 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05, the number of children in the south east region living in households that are one or more bedrooms below the bedroom standard was 100,000.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made since 1997 in reducing the number of children living in overcrowded conditions in the south east; and if he will make a statement. [47494]


 
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Yvette Cooper: Using data from the Survey of English Housing it is estimated that over the three-year period 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99, the number of children in the south east region living in overcrowded households, based on the bedroom standard, was 100,000. This is the same as the estimate for the latest available period: 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05.

The Government have doubled its investment in social housing from 1997 levels, and the Housing Corporation has now taken steps to encourage investment in larger homes through its National Affordable Housing Programme, so that more large homes can be built.

Citizens Juries

Mr. Wills: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions his Office consulted citizens juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens jury. [46232]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not specifically consulted citizens juries on departmental policies within the last five years. However it does use a wide range of consultation methods, including fora and focus groups, in order to ensure public participation in the policy process.

Concessionary Travel

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list local authorities that have made representations to him objecting to the distribution of grant for the proposed extension of the concessionary travel scheme for older and disabled people. [46182]

Mr. Woolas: Out of the 336 representations received during the consultation period for the local government finance settlement, 61 mentioned the funding for concessionary fares. The points raised are summarised in the following tables:
Table 1: Summary table

IssueNumber of representations
Not enough money for concessionary fares34
Support the concessionary fare funding scheme18
Judgement for setting coefficients not transparent2
Need more transparency in the amount of funding for concessionary fares5
Miscellaneous2


Table 2: Authority/Association and the main issue raised

Authority/AssociationIssue raised
1Association of London Government (ALG)Not enough money for concessionary fares
2County Councils Network (CCN)Judgement for setting coefficients not transparent
3Local Government Association (LGA)Not enough money for concessionary fares
4Mersey TravelNot enough money for concessionary fares
5Society of District County Treasurers (SDCT)Support the concessionary fare funding scheme
6South East England Regional AuthorityNot enough money for concessionary fares
7Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA)Need more transparency in the amount of funding for concessionary fares
8Sparsity Partnership for Authorities delivering Rural Services (SPARSE)Support the concessionary fare funding scheme
9Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport AuthorityNot enough money for concessionary fares
10Lincolnshire County, district and police authoritiesSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
11Rob Wilson MP—Wokingham District CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
12Anne Milton MP—GuildfordNot enough money for concessionary fares
13BexleyNot enough money for concessionary fares
14CamdenNot enough money for concessionary fares
15Croydon CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
16Hammersmith and FulhamNot enough money for concessionary fares
17Harrow CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
18LambethNot enough money for concessionary fares
19London Borough of HaveringNot enough money for concessionary fares
20SuttonNeed more transparency in the amount of funding for concessionary fares
21BirminghamSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
22DoncasterSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
23Gateshead CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
24Greater MerseysideSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
25KirkleesNeed more transparency in the amount of funding for concessionary fares
26Leeds City CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
27North TynesideNot enough money for concessionary fares
28Rochdale MBCNot enough money for concessionary fares
29SeftonSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
30South Tyneside CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
31StockportNot enough money for concessionary fares
32Sunderland City CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
33Trafford BCNot enough money for concessionary fares
34CarlisleUsing RSG to distribute Concessionary Fares is unfair
35DacorumJudgement for setting coefficients not transparent
36East LindseySupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
37East StaffordshireSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
38Epping Forest District CouncilSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
39Epsom and Ewell BCNot enough money for concessionary fares
40Fareham Borough CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
41GuildfordNot enough money for concessionary fares
42North HertfordshireNot enough money for concessionary fares
43North KestevenSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
44North NorfolkSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
45Nuneaton and BedworthNot enough money for concessionary fares
46Preston City CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
47RestormelSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
48RushcliffeSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
49South HamsNot enough money for concessionary fares
50South NorfolkNot enough money for concessionary fares
51Spelthorne CouncilNot enough money for concessionary fares
52ThanetSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
53West DevonNeed more transparency in the amount of funding for concessionary fares
54West Lancashire District CouncilSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
55Brighton and HoveNot enough money for concessionary fares
56Derby CityNot enough money for concessionary fares
57Gloucester City CouncilSupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
58MedwaySupport the concessionary fare funding scheme
59Stockton Borough CouncilNeed more transparency in the amount of funding for concessionary fares
60TorbayNot enough money for concessionary fares
61East SussexConcessionary fares should be funded by a specific grant

 
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