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19 May 2009 : Column WA281

Written Answers

Tuesday 19 May 2009

Airports: Heathrow

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): The predicted impacts of adding a third runway were set out in the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document and supporting technical reports in November 2007. These show that a three-runway airport in 2020 with around 605,000 annual movements would be no noisier than in 2002, as measured by the size of the area affected by aircraft noise at 57 decibels or above; and concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (the key pollutant of concern) would be lower than they were in 2002.

Armed Forces: Parachuting

Questions

Asked by Lord Lee of Trafford

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The percentage of parachutists within 2, 3, 7 and 9 Para who are out of date in accordance with the two-year military in-date rule is provided in the following table.

UnitPercentage of trained parachutists out of date

2 Para

27

3 Para

35

7 Para

32

9 Para

7

Where necessary aircraft and air crew required to deliver parachute training are retasked to deploy on operations, which take priority. This has an adverse impact on parachute training but does not affect mandated operational capability.



19 May 2009 : Column WA282

British Coal Compensation

Questions

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Solicitors Regulation Authority has provided the following information concerning 38 solicitors charged with professional misconduct in handling cases of miners’ compensation for occupational ill health:

Cases heard by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal:

AMS LLP (formerly Ashton Morton Slack) of Sheffield

Jeremy Brooke—fined £4,000;

Edward John Hartley—fined £8000;

John Michael Hodgson—fined £8,000; and

Balginder Kaur—fined £4,000.

11.3.09

Avalon Solicitors of Warrington

Andrew Nulty—struck off; and

Malcolm Trotter—fined £15,000.

30.4.09.

Beresfords Solicitors LLP of Doncaster

James Rhodes Beresford—struck off; and

Douglas Harold Smith—struck off.

11.12.08.

Gabb & Co, Abergavenny

Glyn Frank Maddocks—fined £15,000.

25.6.07.

Harrowell Shaftoe Solicitors, York

Simon Rupert Kay Black, Robert Paul Onyett, John Francis Yeomans, Robert William Miers, James Cooper Scott, Robert Gordon Charles Seaton, John Kevin Millar, Brian William Copley, Mark Tempest, Jacqueline Mary Knights—each fined £1,000. 2.12.08.Hindle Campbell, North ShieldsClive Miller Hindle and Duncan Stuart Campbell —each fined £10,000.4.4.08.IngramsPaul Stott and Catherine Louise Copp—each fined £15,000.18.12.07

19 May 2009 : Column WA283

Lopian Wagner, ManchesterAnthony Warren Wagner—fined £25,000;Michael Benjamin Lopian—fined £15,000; andMrs Carin Bradley—fined £1,000.24.3.09.MLM Solicitors of CardiffDavid Robert King—reprimanded;Jonathan Fernandez Lewis—reprimanded;Christopher John Mayers—fined £2,500;Nigel Llewellyn Trevor Morgan—reprimanded; andAndrea Thomas—fined £2,500.12.3.07.Raleys, Barnsley.Derek Ian Firth—suspended 4 years;David Peter Barber—suspended 2 years;Jonathan Timothy Markham—suspended 6 months;James William Edward Gladman—fined £10,000;Carol Ann Gill—fined £10,000; andKatherine Anne Richards—fined £10,000. 17.02.09Robinson King of Stockport Jane Robinson—fined £7,500. 11.07.06

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Bach: The Solicitors Regulation Authority has provided the following information concerning 68 solicitors from 14 solicitors firms:

Cases pending hearing by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for alleged professional misconduct in the handling of cases under the British Coal respiratory disease litigation and British Coal vibration white finger litigation:

Beckett, Bemrose & Hagan, Wirral—listed 12.05.09Alan Hagan, Howard Roberts Beckett, Marcus Peter Bemrose.Birchall Blackburn of PrestonMichael Foxford, John Didsbury, Conal Gallagher, Carlos Lopez, Jamie Patton, Paul Pickering, William Robbins, Moira Boyce, Judith Bell, Christine Harris, Susan Liver, Catherine MacCracken, Adele Gallagher, Gail Peterson and Rhonda Rosenfield.BRM of ChesterfieldPeter James McGowan, Rodney Alan Shiers, Neil Anthony Brown, Jeremy Christopher Rice.

19 May 2009 : Column WA284

Gorman Hamilton of NewcastleDean Robert Auld, Tim Gorman, David Andrew Hamilton, David James Johnson and Stephen McCourt.Graysons, 4-12 Paradise Square, SheffieldPeter Maxwell Clark, Belinda Jane Lancaster, John Peter Hatfield, Jeremy Peter Hague, Carl Alastair Goodwin.Holmes & Hills of BraintreeGraham John Fraser Steele, Michael James Barry, Mark Brian Cornell, Richard Norton Harris, Colin Ormond Simpson, Judith Hilary Simpson, David William George Whipps, Michael John Wright, Jason Elliott Brady and Christopher Alexander Livingston.Kidd Spoor Harper of NewcastleDiana Claire Harper.Silverbeck Rymer, LiverpoolCharles Anthony Rymer, James Rymer, Joseph Michael Skinner.Simpson Millar of Leeds—listed 09.07.09David Ross, David Nash Harrington (now retired), Lisa Jayne Sheldon, Peter Richard Watson, Vivienne Jane Latimer, Adrian Charles Fawden, Howard Robert Arthur Ford Davies.Stripes of ManchesterRichard Andrew Stripe.Wake Smith Solicitors, SheffieldJonathan Charles Vivian Hunt, Michael John Tunbridge, David William Barclay Ware, Paul Robert Thorn, John Baddeley, Neil Salter, Richard Patrick Lees and Mark Robert Durno Serby.Marrons of Newcastle upon Tyne David Robert Allan, Stephen Mark Porteous.Twigg Farnell of Sheffield Alan Vincent Farnell.Ollerenshaws of Leamington Spa Timothy Richard Ollerenshaw, Debbie Louise Anderson, Jamie St. John Strong.

We are unable to estimate the dates by which these cases will be concluded as the listing of cases is a matter for the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Bach: We understand from the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) that as at 1 May 2009, 5,098 cases had been received by the LCS and of those 4,394 have been

19 May 2009 : Column WA285

closed and 703 matters are outstanding. As a result of these complaints a total of £1,762,933.87 has been returned to former miners and their dependants.

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Bach: We understand from the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) that the LCS has not acted on a recommendation from the Legal Services Ombudsman on just three occasions. Notification of each of these matters was made to the LSO on 29 April 2009.

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Bach: We understand from the Legal Complaints Service that it has suspended complaint investigations against one firm—Raleys Solicitors. As at 19 March 2009 the number of complaint investigations suspended involving this firm was believed to be about 160.

Ministers will be meeting the Legal Complaints Service and the Solicitors Regulation Authority in June to review their progress on this important issue.

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Bach: Complaints about solicitors are a matter for the Legal Complaints Service (LCS) and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) of the Law Society rather than the Government, since the legal profession is independent.

However, the Government continue to press the Law Society to achieve payment in full of all inappropriately levied charges. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) support the LCS in its work to recover deductions not yet repaid and provide data to it to enable the work on recovery to continue.



19 May 2009 : Column WA286

Care Services: Social Workers

Question

Asked by Lord Ashley of Stoke

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): I am informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that, when carrying out an inspection, it provides surveys to help reach a range of people who have an interest in the quality of the services being inspected.

Surveys are provided in different formats to make them accessible to more people. The CQC compares information from these surveys with other evidence that has been gathered to form a judgment about the quality of the care provided.

The surveys include optional questions about equality and diversity to help the CQC to understand how well the service is meeting the needs of people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

However, the responsibility for measuring the impact on, and outcomes for, service users rests with the local council that commissions the service. Evidence from local involvement networks, national surveys and Commission for Social Care Inspection surveys obtained from service and regulatory inspections will give appropriate opportunities to triangulate the results with councils' own monitoring and survey work to form a view on the quality of services.

Civil Service Year Book

Question

Asked by Lord Norton of Louth

Lord Patel of Bradford: The Government are considering using web technology for the collection and publication of information currently published in the Civil Service. We are seeking feedback from current users of the yearbook and will make a Written Statement as soon as final decisions have been made.

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Questions

Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay



19 May 2009 : Column WA287

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): It might be helpful if I begin by explaining the basis on which any MoD civil servant may be awarded a non-consolidated award. It is a key element of the Government's pay policy that a proportion of the pay of civil servants is performance-related. The MoD meets this requirement by awarding one-off, non-consolidated and non-pensionable payments which very clearly reward performance in any given year rather than by increasing base pay which has a consolidated ongoing effect even if performance later tails off.

In turning to non-consolidated awards for senior civil servants, the policy framework for awarding them to members of the Senior Civil Service is set by the Cabinet Office. The MoD is responsible for implementing its own base pay and non-consolidated award arrangements within this framework through an agreed pay strategy. Any non-consolidated award is based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed against their peers and they are awarded to those individuals judged to have made the highest in-year contribution to MoD business objectives. There is no

19 May 2009 : Column WA288

restriction on the nature of the contribution; the only requirement is that it benefits the department or defence more widely.

Recommendations for awards, which are considered by moderation committees, must be linked to demonstrable evidence of delivery.

The total monetary value of Senior Civil Service non-consolidated performance pay awards is provided in the following table.

Year04-0505-0606-0707-0808-09

Total Value

£918,000

£1,178,500

£1,325,700

£1,500,000

Tbc*

The figures stating how many and what proportion of the Senior Civil Service staff received performance pay awards by SCS pay band is provided in the following table.

Year-04-0505-0606-0707-0808-09

How many received awards, by pay bands

179

174

186

187

Not yet known

PB1= 143

PB1= 140

PB1= 147

PB1= 151

PB2= 32

PB2= 28

PB2= 34

PB2= 32

PB3= 4

PB3= 6

PB3= 5

PB3= 4

What proportion of the SCS population did this represent

67%

Under 2/3 of the SCS

70%

70%

But will not exceed Cabinet Office ceiling of 75%.


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