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16 Jun 2010 : Column 486W—continued

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) legislative and (b) other proposals she plans to bring into effect the decision to end charges for household waste. [2191]

Richard Benyon: Under Part 5 of the Climate Change Act 2008, no local authority may introduce charges to householders (in order to incentivise household waste reduction and recycling) without the permission of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State intends to bring forward any necessary changes to the legislation to encourage local authorities to incentivise householders with rewards and not charges.

Justice

Courts: Salford

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to ensure the provision of a courthouse in Salford. [2200]

Mr Djanogly: HM Courts Service (HMCS) continually keeps the use and condition of its estate under review. Decisions relating to the provision of courthouses in any area are informed by responses to public consultation. Since November 2009 HMCS has deferred a number of court building schemes; including one at Salford. Like the rest of Government HMCS needs to ensure that all future building projects are affordable and offer value for money for the taxpayer. In line with standard practice, any scheme to build a new court in Salford will be assessed as part of Government investment and governance procedures.

Departmental Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10. [2180]

Mr Kenneth Clarke: Non-consolidated performance pay is paid to employees in the Ministry of Justice to recognise outstanding performance through the year (or for staff in grades below the SCS on specific occasions during the year).

Senior civil service

Performance related pay is awarded to senior civil servants (SCS) in line with recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body.


16 Jun 2010 : Column 487W

Non-consolidated performance-related payments are made as part of the SCS annual pay award to those whose performance has exceeded agreed delivery objectives during the previous performance year. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £1,375,000. There is no in-year provision.

Other staff

With the exception of staff working in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), in grades below the SCS, staff in the Ministry of Justice are employed on common terms and conditions.

For staff in grades below the SCS non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'end of year' or 'in year'. Awards of 'end of year' non consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding. 'In year' non consolidated performance payments are made to staff in recognition of specific contributions during the year over and above the contribution expected for someone in a particular role.

During 2009-10 £1,923,600 was paid in 'end of year' non-consolidated performance pay, excluding staff working in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for whom Information will not be available before August. Information about 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay for 2009-10 is not yet available, other than for NOMS for the nine months up to 31 December 2009, during which time it awarded payments amounting to £1,612,200. This figure has not yet been validated and further data will be collected and checked.

Final information will be provided to the House of Commons Library as soon as it is available.

Rape: Disclosure of Information

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evidence on the introduction of anonymity for defendants in rape cases he considered before the announcement of the policy. [594]

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultation took place on the proposal to afford anonymity for those accused of rape; and if he will make a statement. [2155]

Mr Kenneth Clarke: The proposal to grant anonymity to defendants in rape trials was included within the coalition agreement following negotiations between the two coalition partners. All of the policy commitments made by the coalition Government were derived from the existing policy of one or both of the governing parties. The issue of anonymity for defendants in rape trials was adopted as party policy by the Liberal Democrat party while in opposition. It was also the subject of an extensive inquiry by the Home Affairs Select Committee, in its fifth report published on 24 June 2003.

Repossession Orders: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders for the repossession of homes in each ward in the Harlow constituency were issued in each year from 1997 to 2009. [2007]


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Mr Djanogly: The following table shows the numbers of claims leading to orders being made for the repossession of property in the Harlow constituency by mortgage lenders in each year since 2000 and landlords in each year since 2003. Data for previous years are not available due to the lack of valid postcodes. These statistics are not available at smaller geographies. We are currently investigating how we can put these into the public domain without inadvertently revealing the identities of people who are subject to a possession order. I will write to the hon. Member when we have concluded this investigation.

These figures represent the numbers of claims leading to orders being made. This is more accurate than the number of orders, removing the double-counting of instances where a single claim leads to more than one order. It is also a more meaningful measure of the number of homeowners who are subject to court repossession actions.

These figures do not indicate how many properties have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order, such as where borrowers hand the keys back to the lender. Also, not all possession orders result in repossession. Many orders are suspended and if the borrower complies with the repayment arrangements set out in the suspended order the property will not be repossessed.

Tables showing the numbers of possession claims leading to an order in each constituency of England and Wales and in each year since 2000 for mortgages and 2003 for landlords have been placed in the Library of the House.

Number of mortgage( 1) and landlord( 2, 3 ) possession claims leading to orders made( 4, 5, 6, 7 ) for properties in Harlow constituency, 2000-09

Mortgage possession Landlord possession

2000

75

-

2001

70

-

2002

85

-

2003

95

270

2004

115

275

2005

165

270

2006

190

240

2007

190

230

2008

220

245

2009

130

215

(1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders.
(2) Includes all types of landlord whether social or private.
(3) Landlord actions include those made under both standard and accelerated procedures. Landlord actions via the accelerated procedure enables the orders to be made solely on the basis of written evidence for shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end.
(4) The number of claims that lead to an order includes all claims in which the first order, whether outright or suspended, is made during the period.
(5) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.
(6) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced.
(7) Due to the lack of postcode information for landlord possession cases figures for 2000-03 are not available and have been represented with a "-".
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest five.
Source:
Ministry of Justice


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