Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 2 November 2006
Constitutional Affairs
Committal Hearings
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many committal hearings were held in each of the last five years; and what estimate she has made of the total cost of committal hearings in each year. [98496]
Ms Harman: In 2005-06 the number of committals for trial was 45,809 and that if cases sent for trial was 30,464.
For the first six months of 2006-07 committals for trial are 22,353 and cases sent for trial are 14,579.
The cost for committal hearings is estimated as follows:
| £ million | |
Compensation Act
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of chartered insurance practitioners who have ceased to provide small claims management services since the Compensation Act 2006 was introduced; and if she will make a statement. [98401]
Bridget Prentice: A full Regulatory Impact Assessment was published with the Compensation Bill and we will be closely monitoring the impact of the new regulatory regime on all relevant sectors including insurance. We anticipate some providers withdrawing from providing claims management services in advance of the full regime being introduced because they will not be able to meet the required standards. We plan to finalise this month the secondary legislation required to implement Part 2 of the Compensation Act, all of which will be fully commenced by April 2007.
Departmental IT
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which of her Department’s databases are (a) wholly and (b) partly operated by external organisations or individuals; and which organisations and individuals own those databases. [97755]
Vera Baird: Details of the Department’s key database systems are as follows:
(a) Databases wholly operated by external organisations
CaseMan
FamilyMan
Ediary
Money Claim On Line
Crest
Juror
Juror Summoning Bureau
Exchanging Hearing Information By Internet Technology
ProbateMan
ARIA (Asylum and Immigration system)
Service Upgrade Project (pilot)
Funds Accounting System
Receivership Accounting System
Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal system
Generic Appeals Processing System 2
Mental Health Tribunal
ETHOS(Employment Tribunal system)
CLAIMS (Criminal Injuries and Compensation Panel system)
MERIS (Public Guardianship system)
ORACLE financials (General Ledger, Supplier database, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable)
Local Fees database
CHRIMSON (HR system)
Occupational Health, Counselling and Screening Services
Business Management System
Magistrates Courts databases
Libra application (pilot)
Trust Accounting and Banking System
BACCHUS (Bankruptcy case management system)
Centralised Attachment of Earnings
County Court Bulk Centre
Commercial Court
Electronic Records Management
Management Information System
Tax Tribunal Remuneration
(b) Databases partly operated by external organisations
Decree Absolute System
Parental Responsibility
Supreme Court Costs Office System
Wardship System
Criminal Appeal Case Tracking User System
Crown Office Information Network System
Life Imprisonment Minimum Term
ORACLE financials (Fixed assets)
Payment of Legal Aid Remuneration
Case Recording System
As well as this list, other smaller database systems support local business areas. Details of these systems are not held centrally.
In all instances where databases are either partly or wholly operated by external organisations, ownership of data resides with the Department.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which databases operated by her Department are located (a) wholly and (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located. [97756]
Vera Baird: The Department does not have any database systems located outside the UK.
Dismissal Hearings
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the average cost of a dismissal hearing in the most recent period for which an estimate is available. [98498]
Ms Harman: Allowing for the time of the Crown court officer processing the application and notifying the prosecution and for judicial reading time and hearing any evidence, the likely time for a hearing would be in the region of one hour. In this event the cost of each application would be in the order of £920.00 excluding any legal aid cost implications.
Electoral Arrangements
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs why the Environment Agency has been given access to the full version of the electoral register. [99624]
Bridget Prentice: Access to the full version of the electoral register is necessary for the Environmental Agency in order to support its crime prevention and criminal law enforcement functions for environmental crimes. The Environmental Agency also has access to the full electoral register for security checks for employees and potential employees.
HM Land Registry
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many attempts to gain unauthorised access to the computer system of HM Land Registry have (a) been detected and (b) succeeded in each of the last five years. [98622]
Bridget Prentice: There were no detected unauthorised attempts to gain access to Land Registry’s computer system up to 2004. During 2004, one attempt was detected, in 2005, 36 attempts and, to date, during 2006, four attempts have been detected. None of these attempts at access have led to a breach in the integrity of the Land Register for England and Wales.
Islam and Muslim Affairs
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements her Department has in place for offering her advice on Islam and matters relating to Muslims; and who her advisers are on Islam and Muslim affairs. [94338]
Ms Harman: Where appropriate officials in my Department provide advice on matters relating to Muslim communities.
My Department has developed a relationship with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (a body within Oxford University). Although it has not advised me directly my officials it consulted it on numerous occasions.
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the lead Department on domestic matters relating to Muslim communities and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead department on international matters. Where appropriate officials seek advice from these Departments.
Michael Gove: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much (a) financial support and (b) support in kind her Department and its agencies have given to the Muslim Council of Britain in each year since 1997. [96281]
Ms Harman: My Department has given no financial support or support in kind to the Muslim Council of Britain.
Medical Accidents
Mr. Baron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1733W, on medical accidents, what the total value of the Legal Services Commission’s three year contract with Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) is; and whether the services provided by AvMA have been subject to quality assessment. [99106]
Vera Baird: AvMA have a three-year contract with Community Legal Service Direct to review the content of the advice leaflet ‘Medical Accidents’. The total maximum value set out in the contract is £2,750.
AvMA were the original authors of the leaflet. AvMA carry out a complete review of the leaflet once a year and a mini-review once every six months.
An independent legal expert in this area of law quality checked the original draft and quality checks any amendments proposed by AvMA following their regular reviews of the leaflet.
MMR Vaccine
Mr. Baron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answers of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 567W, on the MMR vaccine, if she will provide substantive answers based on the latest available information. [99084]
Vera Baird: I am unable to provide substantive answers pursuant to those given on the 29 June 2006. I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as the Legal Services Commission is able to disclose the information.
Part-time Judges
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will collate and publish a list of the names of part-time judges. [98755]
Ms Harman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 June 2006, Official Report, column 566W, but would add that following this transfer of responsibility, my officials are currently working with the Directorate of Judicial Offices for England and Wales to collate and validate existing records on judicial office holders. Once this exercise is completed, the Judicial Communications Office will be looking at the feasibility of publishing more extensive lists on the judicial website (www.judiciary.gov.uk).
Special Educational Needs Tribunals
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the outcome was of all special educational needs tribunals heard in Somerset in each of the last five years. [98457]
Bridget Prentice: The following table summarises the outcomes of appeals made against Somerset local education authority since September 2001. It records the outcomes according to the years in which cases concluded, not the year in which they were registered.
| Total | Withdrawn | Conceded | Upheld | Dismissed | |
The figures for appeals upheld includes appeals which were only partly upheld.
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