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8 Feb 2007 : Column 1162W—continued
UK School Games
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many independent schools took part in the 2006 UK School Games. [119686]
Mr. Caborn: The organisation of the UK School Games in 2006 was a matter for the Millennium Commission and the Youth Sport Trust.
The 2006 UK School Games was not an inter-school competition and therefore there has been no formal assessment of how many independent schools participated.
Voluntary Organisations: Eastern Region
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many voluntary organisations in the East of England have received funding from (a) her Department and (b) the National Lottery in each of the past five years; and how much each organisation received. [120220]
Mr. Caborn: The Department funds many voluntary and community organisations via grant in aid through our NDPBs. The number of voluntary organisations supported in the East of England, and the amount concerned, could be determined only at disproportionate cost.
In addition, voluntary and community organisations are eligible to apply for funding under all the National Lottery good cause programmes. Therefore, many voluntary organisations will have received funding from a range of distributing bodies. According to the Department’s National Lottery Grants Database, which uses information supplied by the distributors, more than 10,000 awards with a value of over £353 million have been made in the
Eastern region since 1 January 2002. Which have been made to voluntary organisations could be determined only at disproportionate cost.
World Cup
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a UK bid for the 2018 World Cup will be made on a cross party basis. [119684]
Mr. Caborn: Bidding to host a future World Cup is not a decision for Government but for the relevant football authorities. The Government study into the feasibility of holding the World Cup in England in 2018 jointly carried out by HM Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is due to be published shortly.
Constitutional Affairs
Administration of Justice
Jenny Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much funding was made available under the pilots delivering simple, speedy summary justice in (a) Coventry, (b) West Cumbria, (c) Thames and (d) Camberwell; to whom it was provided; and if she will make a statement. [119892]
Ms Harman: The four pilots were not undertaken with the provision of extra funding. The pilot sites were, however, supported by officials from HM Courts Service and the Office of Criminal Justice reform. Two of the pilot courts received a small amount of funding for equipment which post dated the results of the pilots. Overall the pilots demonstrated significant improvements could be achieved within existing resources, resulting in cases being dealt with more swiftly and efficiently.
Courts: Mental Health Services
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many professionals undertake the preparation of psychiatric reports for use by HM Courts Service throughout the UK; and what the average cost is of each report. [118282]
Ms Harman: Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) does not routinely collect information regarding the number of professionals who undertake the preparation of psychiatric reports; nor does it keep information on the average cost of such reports centrally. Such information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the waiting time is for a psychiatric report for use by HM Courts Service. [118283]
Ms Harman:
Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) does not routinely collect information regarding the
time taken for the production of psychiatric reports and such data could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, HMCS is currently piloting a service level agreement agreed between HMCS, HM Prison Service and NHS providers which is looking at ways to improve the timeliness of such reports.
Data Protection
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2006, Official Report, column 350W, on data protection, for what purpose the Information Commissioner is undertaking a review of his guidance on the use of personal information held for the collection and administration of council tax. [119528]
Vera Baird: On 26 January, following his review, the Information Commissioner issued updated guidance on the use of personal information held for the collection and administration of council tax. This new guidance is to provide local authorities with up to date and straightforward guidance on their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Family Law
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she plans to review the operation of the family justice system. [119408]
Ms Harman: The family justice system is under constant consideration and review including implementation of the recommendations of the recent view of child care proceedings in England and Wales and taking forward the programme of action detailed in the Government’s 2005 statement, Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parent's Responsibilities: Next Steps. The Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 will commence implementation in July 2007, and further specialist domestic violence courts are being established across England and Wales. Implementation of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 will give the courts additional powers to enforce contact orders. The Unified Family Service programme will enable family cases to progress more effectively through the system. I am also considering the responses to two recent consultations on the separate representation of children in family justice and on greater openness in the family courts.
Taken together, these demonstrate clearly my commitment to improving the family justice system. I intend to make an announcement to the House on the Department's strategy for family justice shortly.
Freedom of Information Requests
Mr. Heald:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2007, Official Report, column 689W, on Freedom of Information requests, if her Department
will publish guidance for use by public authorities in using their discretion to decide whether a person is acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign. [119822]
Vera Baird: My Department will publish comprehensive guidance on any changes to the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations, including on how to exercise discretion in deciding if a person is acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign.
Freedom of Information: Proof of Identity
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department plans to introduce a proof of identity requirement under the proposed changes to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regulations. [119916]
Vera Baird: There are no plans to introduce a requirement for people to provide proof of identity.
Justices Clerks
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many justices clerks there were in each year since 1997. [119928]
Ms Harman: The number of justices clerks employed in each year since 1997 is set out in the following table.
| Number of working justices clerks( 1) | |
| (1) The figures between 1997 to 2005 are approximate and are based on the records my Department inherited from the former magistrates courts committees (MCCs). | |
Up until 1 April 2005, the number of justices clerks posts were determined by MCCs. Factors affecting numbers included:
the change in the definition of a justices clerks responsibilities in 2000 from, a legal and management role to a purely legal management role (which led to some MCCs, including the former GLMCA, reviewing their local structures and the number of justices clerks required); and
a desire to move to larger, and in some cases single, clerkships to ensure that legal advisers from across the criminal justice areas were provided with a greater consistency of advice.
Legal Aid
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what projections she has made of expenditure on legal aid in each of the next five years. [119930]
Vera Baird: Taking account of the changes announced by the Government in November in ‘Legal Aid Reform: the Way Ahead’ (Cm 6993), resource spending on legal aid expenditure is currently projected to be approximately £2 billion in each of the four years 2007-08 to 2010-11. Projections for 2011-12 are not yet available.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what projection she has made of the proportion of legal aid work to be undertaken by the not for profit sector under proposed reforms. [119976]
Vera Baird: Legal aid funding to the not for profit sector is currently 9 per cent. of civil legal aid expenditure. That proportion is projected to be maintained over the next three years. Legal aid funding to the sector has risen dramatically in recent years from £18 million in 1999-2000 to a projected figure of £76 million in 2006-07. The current reforms provide the sector with opportunities to continue to grow its market share.
Legal Aid: Contracts
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many firms her Department expects to bid in a second round of legal aid contracts under proposed reforms. [119977]
Vera Baird: The Legal Services Commission will be consulting on the design of the auction process for criminal legal aid work later this year. In the build up to this consultation we will be working with experts from both within Government and the private sector to build a robust set of proposals for a process that will be fair for the client, fair for practitioners and fair for the taxpayer. These proposals will include a consideration of how best to maintain an effective competition in future rounds.
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