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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 | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 1,525 |
| 1998–99 | 1,623 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,551 |
| 2000–01 | 1,664 |
| 2001–02 | 1,716 |
| 2002–03 | 1,908 |
| 2003–04 | 2,077 |
| 2004–05 | 2,037 |
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 | |
| 2002–03 | 45.0 |
| 2003–04 | 49.8 |
| 2004–05 | 58.6 |
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:
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