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10 Jan 2008 : Column 755W—continued
Honours: Criminal Investigation
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) which external law firms or barristers were paid from the public purse for legal advice to employees in connection with the police inquiry into honours; [164214]
(2) what the timetable is for the Government to publish the cost of the legal advice for employees in connection with the police inquiry into honours. [164215]
Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total legal costs incurred by the Government were in respect of advice to (a) Ministers and (b) officials with regard to the inquiry into cash for honours. [171123]
Edward Miliband: Following his evidence session before the Committee on 13 November, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the home civil service submitted a memorandum to the Public Administration Select Committee on the provision and cost of legal advice provided to civil servants in connection with the Metropolitan police inquiry into allegations of cash for peerages. The Select Committee has now published the memorandum and I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.
Justice
Cemeteries
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to change the law on burials, with particular reference to the re-use of graves; and if he will make a statement. [177193]
Bridget Prentice: On 5 June 2007, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman) announced that we would introduce measures to allow local authorities to re-use graves in their cemeteries and make other improvements to burial law as and when opportunities arose. We are currently preparing detailed proposals for re-using old graves and will make a further announcement in due course. This will of course be subject to public consultation.
Civil Proceedings: Custodial Treatment
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are in prison for (a) non-payment of fines, (b) civil debt and (c) other civil matters; and if he will make a statement. [177608]
Maria Eagle: In 2006, the last year for which information is available, 1,904 persons were imprisoned for the non-payment of fines. In the same year a total of 4,734 persons were imprisoned for non criminal matters in the Crown and magistrates courts. This figure cannot be broken down to show those imprisoned for civil debt or other civil matters.
The figures for those imprisoned as a result of orders made in the County courts are not available.
Courts: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2007, Official Report, column 507W, on courts: Colchester, when in 2008 he expects the outline business case for a new courthouse at Colchester to be (a) completed and (b) submitted for approval; on what date he expects building work to (i) commence and (ii) be completed; and if he will make a statement. [177638]
Maria Eagle: The outline business case for the new courthouse in Colchester is planned to be (a) completed and (b) submitted for departmental approval during March 2008. Subject to departmental and HM Treasury approval and subsequent statutory approvals, it is planned for the building work to (i) commence during summer 2009 and, (ii) with a construction completion estimated to be summer 2011.
Departmental Corporate Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months. [171303]
Mr. Straw: Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality. As Secretary of State for Justice, I have not received any corporate hospitality which requires registration under section 7.24 of the code.
Driving Offences: Convictions
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) women and (b) men were convicted for drink driving offences in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [177359]
Maria Eagle: Available information held on convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs from 1996 to 2005 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
The data provided cover both drink and drugs offences combined, as they cannot reliably be distinguished separately.
| Findings of guilt at all courts for driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 1) by gender, England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 | ||
| Number of offences | ||
| Female | Male | |
| (1) Data cover summary offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs (which cannot reliably be distinguished separately). Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, is less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. | ||
Legal Aid Scheme: ICT
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the online computer system for reporting legal aid claims by solicitors was originally planned to come into operation. [175639]
Maria Eagle: The Legal Services Commission intended the system to come into operation in late October/early November, in order to support the introduction of the new civil and family fees schemes.
The system is currently suspended due to technical problems but the LSC is working hard with its technical partners Oracle and Steria to resolve these problems as soon as possible.
Prison Service
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many briefings have been presented to Ministers on the Tasker inquiry; what the date of each briefing was; how many pages were contained in each written briefing; and if he will make a statement. [175625]
Maria Eagle: My predecessor, the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) received an oral briefing prior to a meeting with the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) which included the Tasker inquiry. It has not been possible to establish the date. I received an oral briefing on 30 July 2007, covering parliamentary questions from the hon. Member about the enquiry.
I and my predecessors have received numerous written background briefings accompanying draft parliamentary questions, but the high number of questions involved means that it would involve significant disproportionate cost to establish the number and length of these briefings.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many investigations carried out by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman since 2001 have been conducted by staff who used to work for HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [175628]
Maria Eagle: It is a matter for the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman to determine his staff. Staff who work in the office of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman have been recruited from a wide variety of employment backgrounds, including some having previously worked for HM Prison Service and the probation service. It is right that the office has a good mix of experience across its cadre of investigators in particular, including having operational knowledge of the organisations which can be subject to investigations. This mix is kept under review. Detailed information on the precise numbers of staff, present and past, who have carried out investigations for the PPO since 2001 and have previously worked for HM Prison Service, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) casual staff employed by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman have previously been employed by HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [175631]
Maria Eagle:
It is a matter for the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman to determine his staff. Staff
have been recruited from a wide variety of employment backgrounds, including some having previously worked for HM Prison Service and the probation service. It is right that the office has a good mix of experience across its cadre of investigators in particular, including having operational knowledge of the organisations which can be subject to investigations. This mix is kept under review. Detailed information on the precise numbers of staff, full or part time, who have been employed by the prisons and probation ombudsman and previously employed by HM Prison Service is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Home Department
Asylum: Social Security Benefits
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether asylum seekers who are given leave to remain in the UK because their files have been lost are entitled to backdate benefits claims. [175997]
Mr. Byrne: There is no policy to grant leave to remain to asylum seekers on the grounds that their file has been lost. All cases are considered on their merits, according to existing law and policy.
Chinese Community: Greater London
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by whom and for what reasons television and other media were invited to attend the raid in Chinatown on 11 October; and if she will make a statement. [162698]
Mr. Byrne: The media were invited to observe the work being undertaken by the Border and Immigration Agency to combat illegal working and to enforce the UK’s immigration laws. The media have accompanied the agency on a number of operations in the London and South East region in the last few months.
Departmental Manpower
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of posts in her Department have been recategorised from back office to frontline posts as classified by the Gershon efficiency review in each year since 2004. [172255]
Mr. Byrne: The Home Office is committed to achieving work force reductions of 2,327 posts by the end of 2007-08. This is a net target and no posts will be reallocated to the frontline as part of it.
Departmental Minimum Wage
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many London-based staff are employed by her Department on the national minimum wage. [175972]
Mr. Byrne: There are no London-based staff employed by the Home Office or its agencies on the national minimum wage.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the winter supplementary estimates (HC 29), if she will break down her Department's (a) main estimate and (b) winter supplementary estimate provision by subhead in (i) near cash and (ii) non-cash terms. [174992]
Mr. Byrne: Near cash/non cash splits relate to departmental expenditure limit resource budget controls and are not compatible with supply estimates which relate to voted resource expenditure. Voted expenditure for the Home Department at the winter supplementary estimate 2007-08 is some £922,944,000 higher than the resource budget departmental expenditure limit. A high level reconciliation between the different bases is provided within the estimate.
The following table assigns non-cash within resource budgets to the related subhead at the main estimate 2007-08 and the winter supplementary estimate 2007-08. All other provision is near cash.
| £000 | |||
| Subhead | Main estimate | Winter supplementary estimate | |
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