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29 Jun 2006 : Column 562W—continued
Reorganisation Strategies for DfT
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that all measures for handling surplus staff arising from the Shared Service Programme set out in ‘Reorganisation Strategies for DfT’ are followed by his Department and its agencies. [79778]
Gillian Merron: The Department and its agencies will follow the principles of fairness and transparency set out in that document.
Road Safety
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving heavy goods vehicles were reported to the police in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many involved foreign-registered heavy goods vehicles. [81080]
Dr. Ladyman: The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving heavy goods vehicles in each year from 2001 to 2005 is shown in the following table. Identification of foreign registered vehicles involved in personal injury road accidents is possible only from 2005, the latest year for which data are available.
| Accidents involving heavy goods vehicles( 1) and accidents involving foreign registered foreign goods vehicles: 2001-05 | ||
| Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) | Foreign registered HGVs | |
| (1) Heavy goods vehicles are goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes maximum gross weight. | ||
South West Trains
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account was taken of plans for future housing and infrastructure in the formulation of the new South West Trains franchise; and if he will make a statement. [78365]
Derek Twigg: The specification for the new South Western franchise has been developed to build upon the current franchise operation. The future levels of forecast demand have been based on standard rail industry modelling assumptions.
A new and improved service will operate between Salisbury and Romsey via Southampton Central and Southampton Airport Parkway, replacing the Romsey-Totton service via Eastleigh. The new service will create a regular half-hourly Salisbury-Southampton service, create new travel opportunities between Salisbury and Southampton airport, and allow stops to be made at Dunbridge and Dean.
In addition, services in South Hampshire and Dorset have been enhanced to provide a second train each hour through to Weymouth from London, and cross-Bournemouth services to be improved. It is also proposed that an hourly semi-fast Southampton-Brighton service be introduced to connect these major urban areas.
Franchise replacements are not vehicles for significant infrastructure investment. However, they do need to consider infrastructure schemes that have committed funds to enable their delivery, and the South Western franchise process has adhered to this approach.
Vandalism
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of vandalism were reported to the British Transport Police in the last 12 months, broken down by (a) Government office region and (b) constituency. [77784]
Derek Twigg: The British Transport Police do not record vandalism offences by either Government office region or constituency and therefore this data can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Constitutional Affairs
Coroners (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) coroners and (b) deputy coroners there have been in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [80058]
Ms Harman: The number of coroners and deputy coroners in Northern Ireland since 1997 is set out in the following table:
| Presiding judge | Full-time coroners | Part-time coroners | Deputy coroners | |
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) legal background and (b) practitioner experience is of each (i) coroner in Northern Ireland, (ii) deputy coroner who served between 1997 and 2006 and (iii) newly appointed (A) coroner and (B) deputy coroner. [80059]
Ms Harman: With the exception of one part-time coroner who was a barrister, all coroners and deputy coroners who served between 1997 and 2006 were solicitors. Of the two full-time coroners appointed in April 2006, one was a barrister and the other was a solicitor. In addition a High Court judge was appointed to the office of coroner in May 2006 to be the presiding judge for the Coroners Service.
With effect from 15 October 2002 in order to be eligible for appointment to the position of coroner or deputy coroner in Northern Ireland a person must be a barrister or a solicitor of at least five years standing.
The professional standing of coroners appointed since 15 October 2002 is as follows:
| Date appointed | Barrister/solicitor | Number of years standing |
Prior to 15 October 2002 eligibility for appointment as a coroner or deputy coroner in Northern Ireland was based on having practised for not less then five years as a barrister or solicitor. Details of the number of years in practice of individual coroners appointed prior to 15 October 2002 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Court Service (Suffolk)
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent performance of the Court Service in Suffolk. [79392]
Ms Harman: Figures are provided to cover performance against key targets over financial year 2005-06 compared with the previous year. The information is as follows:
2005-06 Crown—4 per cent. Improved from 10 per cent. last year. Target 15 per cent.
2005-06 Magistrates—12 per cent. Improved from 15 per cent. last year. Target 16 per cent.
2005-06—84 per cent. of cases dealt with within target (Trials 16 weeks, Section 51 26 weeks, Committals for Sentence 10 weeks, Appeals 14 weeks). Up from 81 per cent. last year. Target 78 per cent.
Persistent Young Offenders (Crown and Magistrates)
2005-06—37 days arrest to sentence. Down from 25 days last year. Target 71 days or less.
Payment rate (Magistrates Courts)
2005-06—109 per cent. Up from 102 per cent. last year. Target 89 per cent.
Percentage cases completed within 40 weeks.
2005-06 County Court—64 per cent. Up from 61 per cent. last year. Target 70 per cent.
2005-06 Magistrates—73 per cent. Down from 77 per cent. last year. Target 70 per cent.
2005-06—90 per cent. of cases dealt with within 15 weeks. Up from 73 per cent. last year. Target 80.5 per cent.
2005-06—79 per cent. of cases dealt with within 30 weeks. Down from 91 per cent. last year. Target 78 per cent.
2005-06—100 per cent. of cases dealt with within 50 weeks as last year. Target 78 per cent.
Community Penalty Breach Warrants
Percentage of proceedings resolved within 25 days.
2005-06—72 per cent. Up from 41 per cent. last year. Target 50 per cent.
Departmental Pensions
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will estimate the pension liability of her Department over the next 30 years. [75279]
Bridget Prentice: The hon. Member is referred to a technical Note by HM Treasury which was placed in the Library of the House on 2 March 2006, O fficial Report, columns 388-90, following an oral statement in Parliament by the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Pension liabilities are not estimated for individual departments, they are estimated for individual pension schemes, as shown in the breakdown of liabilities per pension scheme given in Table 1 of the technical Note.
Dr. David Kelly
Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1255-67W, on Dr. David Kelly, what discussions took place between (a) the coroner, (b) the deputy coroner, (c) the assistant deputy coroner of Oxfordshire and (d) anyone else responsible to the Oxfordshire coroner and (i) her Department and (ii) Lord Hutton before the local registrar’s decision to issue a certified copy of entry in the register of deaths for Dr. David Kelly. [81212]
Ms Harman: Dr. Kelly’s death was registered on 18 August 2003 following the adjournment of the inquest at the request of the Lord Chancellor under Section 17A of the Coroners Act 1988. My officials met the coroner on 11 August 2003. At the outset of Lord Hutton’s inquiry the coroner was in contact with the inquiry secretariat to explore the boundaries of their respective jurisdictions and to provide the inquiry with information relating to Dr. Kelly’s death. No other discussions took place between the coroner, the deputy coroner, the assistant deputy coroner of Oxfordshire and anyone else responsible to the Oxfordshire coroner and either my Department or Lord Hutton.
Electoral Fraud
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many incidents of (a) postal vote fraud and (b) other electoral fraud there were in (i) European elections, (ii) parliamentary elections and (iii) local elections in each of the last 30 years. [79077]
Bridget Prentice: Information in this detail is not collected centrally. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the previous answer on 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 181W, for information on electoral fraud convictions. Since then, I am aware that in Halton, in May 2006 a former Labour councillor was convicted and fined for electoral fraud offences relating to the local and European parliamentary elections in 2004.
Judges (Part-time)
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, columns 151-52W, on judges (part-time), if she will maintain and publish a central list of part-time judges. [79756]
Ms Harman: Following the implementation of the Constitutional Reform Act in April 2006, the Judicial Communications Office, in supporting the Lord Chief Justice, has taken over responsibility for maintaining and publishing lists of the judiciary from my Department. On the Judicial website, there are currently lists of full-time judiciary down to and including circuit judges (www.judiciary.gov.uk). I understand that they are considering what further information can be included and whether in due course these lists can be extended to include all salaried or fee-paid holders of judicial office.
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