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9 Nov 2009 : Column 132W—continued
Justice
Christmas
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department and its agencies (a) he, (b) officials of his Department and (c) officials of its agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement. [295452]
Mr. Straw: The information requested is set out as follows:
I hosted one Christmas function in 2008. This was an event attended by approximately 50 members of the national media. The total cost of the function was £1,199.90 (excluding VAT). This expenditure included the provision of finger food and beverages, and the cost of staffing and equipment.
I did not attend any Christmas functions arranged by the Ministry or its agencies other than the one I hosted above.
Officials at the Department and its agencies
The Department and its agencies do not fund Christmas parties, although staff may personally contribute towards the cost of such an event.
Attendance at and hosting of hospitality events, including Christmas parties, by Department and agency staff is recorded in local hospitality registers, in accordance with Ministry of Justice policy. These data are not
collated centrally, and gathering information from local registers (including operational establishments) would be possible only at disproportionate cost.
Details of the Corporate Management Board hospitality register 2007, for hospitality received, has been published externally on the Cabinet Office website at:
The hospitality register has not been updated for 2008 yet.
At any time of year, awards may be made through the reward and recognition scheme in line with departmental guidelines for team celebrations, including modest parties.
Court Funds Office: Fees and Charges
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the fee income of the Court Funds Office was in 2008-09. [297988]
Bridget Prentice: The Court Funds Office did not receive any fee income in 2008-09. CFO has no statutory ability to charge fees so does not receive an income from fees.
The statutory responsibilities of the Court Funds Office are set out in the Supreme Court Act 1981 and the Administration of Justice Act 1982 (AJA). CFO's operational responsibilities are defined further in the Court Funds Rules 1987. These pieces of legislation do not give CFO the power to levy any fees on its clients.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what fees and charges were covered by the reference to fees and charges levied by the Court Funds Office on page 96 of his Department's Resource Accounts 2008-09. [297990]
Bridget Prentice: The reference to fees and charges in the 2008-09 MoJ Resources Accounts is for accounting purposes. CFO has no statutory ability to charge fees to its clients.
As set out on page 97 of the 2008-09 MoJ Resource Accounts, the CFO generally recovers the full cost of operations from the UK Debt Management Office each year on a reimbursement basis, in accordance with the Administration of Justice Act 1982. The large surplus in 2008-09 has arisen because of a change in the basis on which income is recognised from cash to accruals. The income reflects £7.5 million in relation to costs incurred in 2007-08 and £5.8 million in relation to costs incurred in 2008-09. In future, fees and expenditure will be on the same basis and will be aligned.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the fee income of the Court Funds Office in 2008-09 related to (a) Court of Protection cases, (b) payments into court and (c) unclaimed balances. [297991]
Bridget Prentice: The Court Funds Office did not receive any fee income in 2008-09. CFO has no statutory ability to charge fees so does not receive an income from fees.
The statutory responsibilities of the Court Funds Office are set out in the Supreme Court Act 1981 and the Administration of Justice Act 1982 (AJA). CFO's operational responsibilities are defined further in the Court Funds Rules 1987. These pieces of legislation do not give CFO the power to levy any fees on its clients.
Courts
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the merits of using virtual courts; and if he will make a statement. [297537]
Claire Ward: A pilot of Virtual Courts began in May 2009 and is currently operating at 15 police stations in London, linked to Camberwell Green magistrates court; and one police station in Kent, linked to Medway magistrates court.
Virtual Courts enable defendants to appear in a magistrates' court for a first hearing while still physically located in the police station where they are charged. As at 30 October 2009, the pilot had dealt with 263 cases. Where cases can be heard on the same day that the defendant is charged, the average time from charge to first hearing is four hours. More than half of defendants have been sentenced at their Virtual Court hearing.
The evaluation of the pilot is now underway and is due to report in September 2010. This will provide an assessment of the extent to which Virtual Courts enable resources to be used more efficiently. It will also explore the wider impact of the Virtual Court process to ensure that there is no adverse impact on the fairness of the process for defendants, and gather feedback from victims, witnesses and practitioners.
Departmental Visits Abroad
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for (a) Ministers and (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years. [294692]
Mr. Straw: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500 which can be found at the following link:
The Ministry's accounting system does not separately identify the amount spent on overnight accommodation overseas. These costs are subsumed within the broader category of "overseas travel and subsistence" which includes travel and meals as well as accommodation costs, and includes costs incurred by Ministers as well as officials. Expenditure on this 'wider' category of expenditure in the first two financial years of the Ministry's existence, rounded to the nearest £000, is as follows:
| £000 | |
These figures exclude the 42 local probation boards and trusts as this information is held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
All overseas travel and subsistence is completed in line with the Staff Pay and Allowances Handbook, which states that all travel and accommodation should be by the most economical means possible, bearing in mind business need.
Employers' Liability: Insurance
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the establishment of an employers' liability insurance bureau as an insurance fund of last resort for persons disabled by asbestos; and if he will make a statement. [297719]
Bridget Prentice:
As part of its considerations on pleural plaques and other issues relating to asbestos-related diseases the Government are examining the process for tracking and tracing employment and insurance records, as well as looking into the support given to individuals who are unable to trace such records. Representations
on these issues, including the possibility of an employers' liability insurance bureau, have been received from a number of interested organisations and individuals.
Housing: Sales
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many domestic property transactions were recorded by the Land Registry in each region in each of the last four quarters for which figures are available. [298672]
Mr. Wills: The following table shows the total number of registered residential properties sold at full value(1) in each region of England and Wales in the requested timeframe:
(1) Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including, Right to Buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift, and properties sold under a compulsory purchase order or a court order.
| Region name | July to September 2009 | April to Jun e 2009 | January to Mar ch 2009 | October to December 2008 |
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many properties registered with the Land Registry changed ownership in each of the last six months. [298673]
Mr. Wills: Land Registry is able to provide information on the total number of registered residential properties sold at full value(1) in each of the last six months for which figures are available. As these figures are extracted using price paid data, no information is available for any properties which have not been sold. The only way to identify other changes of ownership would be to extract data regarding every application over the time period asked for. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
(1 )Full value = residential property transactions where the full price has been paid. The figures exclude a number of transactions including, right to buy sales at a discount, properties sold by way of a gift, and properties sold under a compulsory purchase order or a court order.
| Total sales (as at 31 October 2009) | |
Legal aid
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for legal aid from residents of (a) St. Albans constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) the East of England there were in each of the last five years. [297530]
Bridget Prentice: Applications for civil legal aid advice are made to individual providers, and we record the number of instances of advice provided, rather than the number of applications made. Applications for civil legal aid representation are made to the Legal Services Commission. Not all applications are granted. The applications received for representation for the last five years in the requested areas is as follows:
| Financial year | St. Albans( 1) | Hertfordshire | East of England |
| (1) This covers the St. Albans local authority district area. | |||
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