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Electoral System

Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Government's response is to the conclusions of the Arbuthnott Commission regarding the electoral system for the UK Parliament. [51492]

Ms Harman: The Commission on Boundary Differences and Voting Systems was set up to examine the consequences of having four different voting systems in Scotland. The Commission reported on 19 January and the Secretary of State for Scotland has indicated that he will respond to the Arbuthnott Report in due course.

An internal Government review of the experiences of the new electoral systems introduced for the devolved administrations, European Parliament and the London assembly elections is currently under way within my Department. The Government's conclusions on the Arbuthnott Report will be considered as part of this review.

Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals have been received by the Information Commissioner in each month since the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and in each month how many have (a) been determined and allowed in whole, (b) been determined and allowed in part, (c) been determined and refused and (d) not yet been determined. [52638]

Ms Harman: The answer to this question is set out in the two following tables: (1) Number of cases received per month and number of cases yet to be determined per month; (2) Number and status of cases closed by month of receipt and information on cases which have been closed by informal resolution.
 
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Table 1: Number of cases received per month and number of cases yet to be determined per month

	Cases received per month	Cases yet to be determined per month
January	19	1
February	134	26
March	212	56
April	290	105
May	252	113
June	203	114
July	273	164
August	243	184
September	232	177
October	191	147
November	185	121
December	152	66
January 2006	183	99
Total	2,569	1,373

Table 2: Number and status of cases closed by month of receipt

	Status of closed case
	Allowed in whole	Allowed in part	Refused	Informally resolved	Total
January	3	—	11	4	18
February	3	2	80	23	108
March	8	8	79	61	156
April	15	6	81	83	185
May	13	4	59	63	139
June	4	2	50	33	89
July	5	—	74	30	109
August	3	—	36	20	59
September	4	1	33	17	55
October	—	—	32	12	44
November	1	—	43	20	64
December	—	—	58	28	86
January 2006	—	1	60	23	84
Total	59	24	696	417	1,196

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs why there has been a delay in the publication of advice on (a) the 100 year census closure policy and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and (b) the Bird's Custard case; and if she will make a statement. [52775]

Ms Harman: The information is as follows.

(a) The reasons for the Government's policy to release decennial census returns after a period of 100 years were set out in full by the hon. member for Tottenham in an adjournment debate on 29 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1394–1402. Members of the public who request access to the 1911 census returns at the National Archives are given an explanation of this policy and, if appropriate, are advised of their rights of appeal under the Freedom of Information Act.

(b) Since January 2005 the National Archives has denied five requests to access information contained in the 1911 census relating to Tudor Grange, Blossomfield Road, Solihull, and to Sir Alfred Bird and his family.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance the Information Commissioner has issued on the sale of drivers' personal data held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for commercial purposes. [53809]

Ms Harman: The Information Commissioner has published guidance on the sale of drivers' personal data called 'Implications of the Use and Disclosure of Vehicle
 
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Keeper Information'. The Information Commissioner's Office will be making a detailed submission to the Department for Transport consultation on DVLA data which was published on the 16 February 2006.

This current guidance can be found at: http://www.ico.gov.uk/documentUploads/Dvla.pdf.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1532W, on identity cards, whether her Department has concluded its work on calculating costs in the areas where identity cards will be used in her Department. [50452]

Ms Harman: Work on calculating costs in the areas where identity cards will be used in my Department is continuing.

Law Officers (Lancashire)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the term of office is of (a) the lord lieutenant of Lancashire, (b) deputy lieutenants of Lancashire and (c) the high sheriff of Lancashire. [53365]

Ms Harman: There is no minimum or maximum term of office for lord-lieutenants, but they are required to retire at the age of 75. Deputy lieutenants normally serve for a minimum of five years and retire from the active list on reaching the age of 75. They may retain the title of deputy lieutenant on the supplementary list.

High sheriffs are appointed annually and serve for one year.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what rules apply to the appointment of (a) deputy lieutenants and (b) high sheriffs of Lancashire who reside outside the county. [53366]

Ms Harman: Under the terms of section 2 of the Lieutenancies Act 1997, deputy lieutenants for Lancashire are required to live in, or within 7 miles from the boundary of, the County of Lancashire. Before they are appointed, deputy lieutenants are required to give a written assurance that they will, to the best of their ability, assist in the performance of any public duty which may be laid upon the Lord Lieutenant.

There are no residency requirements for a high sheriff but the same rules are applied as for deputy lieutenants.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs who keeps the register of (a) (i) political and (ii) financial interests and (b) membership of outside groups in respect of (A) deputy lieutenants and (B) high sheriffs in Lancashire. [53469]

Ms Harman: There is no register of the political or financial interests, or membership of outside groups, of deputy lieutenants and high sheriffs in Lancashire. Deputy lieutenants and high sheriffs are aware that their role is essentially non-political and impartial.
 
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Legal Aid

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what objections she has received to the proposed changes to legal aid. [53362]

Bridget Prentice: On 9 February Lord Carter published his interim report—Procurement of Criminal Defence Services: A Market Based Approach to Reform—which represents excellent progress. The Government will respond on the detail of the proposals once Lord Carter publishes his final report in late spring. That report will contain a worked through and fully costed implementation plan for delivering a procurement system that achieves maximum value for money and control over spending whilst ensuring quality and the fairness of the justice system.

The Government continue to offer their full support to the provisions within the Criminal Defence Service (CDS) Bill that will facilitate the introduction of a new financial eligibility test and the transfer of responsibility for the grant of legal aid from the courts to the Legal Services Commission. The CDS Bill is still before Parliament and is expected to receive Royal Assent shortly.

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