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In the event of a revaluation, the existence of a conservatory would be taken into account, as would any other feature, positive or negative, that affects value in the market at the time.
Dwellings are valued "as a whole" and as such the value of a conservatory is not separately calculated.
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Bach on 18 March (WS 80-81), how many magistrates' courts there were in 1997; how many there will be following the closures announced in the Statement; how many serving magistrates there were in 1997; how many there are at present; how many men and how many women magistrates there were in 1997; and what are the present numbers. [HL3114]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): Up until 1 April 2005, magistrates' courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates' courts committees which were statutorily independent. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of magistrates' courts prior to 2005, as they were not required by statute to inform the department of closures that were not subject to an appeal under Section 56(3) of the Justices Peace Act 1997 (now repealed). Research suggests that there were 479 magistrates' courts in 1997 and 335 will remain following the closures announced in the Statement.
In 1997, there were 30,374 magistrates of which 14,516 (47.8 per cent) were female and 15,858 were male. As at 25 March 2010, there are 28,761 magistrates of which 14,633 (51 per cent) are female and 14,128 are male.
Asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convictions for rape there were in each of the past five years in England and Wales; and what percentage of prosecutions for rape resulted in convictions. [HL3149]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for rape of a male and female, England and Wales 2004 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table. The table includes conviction rate figures which are based on the proportion of defendants proceeded against who were found guilty.
Court data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
(1) Includes: Rape of a female and male (excludes attempted rape).
(2) Proportion of defendants proceeded against who were found guilty.
(3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(4) 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 data systems generated by the courts and police forces. 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.
(5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July, and August 2008.
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice.
Asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon
To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many prosecutions for rape in the past five years the defence of consent was raised. [HL3150]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Rape prosecutions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service. However, this information is not collated centrally as no central record is maintained of defences in these cases.
Asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to the Commission for Rural Communities' report Rural Money Matters: a support guide to rural financial inclusion, how the 24 face-to-face debt advisers funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills who work in rural areas divide their time across the country. [HL3050]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Young of Norwood Green): The advisers are based at specific locations in 22 citizens advice bureaux (CABx) around England, and operate from these locations across more rural parts of various counties. They typically undertake around a third of their work at outreach locations, to help reach the most financially excluded clients. The counties (and the locations in which they are based) are as follows:
No. of Advisers | Counties | Locations they are based |
In addition, the CABx make available a varied and wide-ranging nature of face-to-face advice provision in areas outside their fixed points of contacts so people can get help without the need for them to travel to a main CABx.
Advisers operate on different days between the main office and their outreach locations and also they work across other CABx within the same county and run outreach at local community centres, village halls, GP surgeries, schools, prisons and so on, plus arranging home visits for clients who would have difficulties in accessing a main office or outreach location (for example, people with disabilities).
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Africa, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, raised with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo during her recent visit the treatment of "shegues" (street children in Kinshasa) who have been sent to Angenga and Buluwo prisons. [HL3107]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): The UK Government are deeply concerned at the problems faced by children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We have worked with REJEER, a children's rights non-governmental organisation, to fund a leaflet aimed at children to explain their rights under the 2009 Child Protection Law. We are also funding projects for improving access to primary education through the Department for International Development which will help children.
I did not raise the issue of shegues with the Government of DRC on my recent visit, but we have asked the UN for confirmation of reports that street children are being imprisoned and of the conditions in the prison, which we are waiting to receive.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (a) the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, (b) the government of Rwanda, (c) the government of Uganda, (d) donor countries, and (e) representatives of the United Nations on allegations that the National Congress for the Defence of the People have gained further control of Congolese mines. [HL3154]
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The CNDP is no longer active as a militia group. Ex-CNDP elements integrated into the Congolese army (FARDC) are still in control of some mines in the east. I spoke to PM Muzito and reiterated the need to reform the mineral sector when I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in February.
The Government, through DfID, have been working with the international community (World Bank, EC, IMF and UNDP), to increase transparency in the DRC. We are supporting government institutions to develop a more efficient and transparent public financial management system and are working to improve the quality of government audit and budgeting processes.
The UK has not lobbied the Governments of Rwanda and Uganda on the issue of ex-CNDP elements of FARDC controlling Congolese mines.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to (a) the government of Rwanda, and (b) the African Union, and through the European Union and the United Nations, on the extradition of Laurent Nkunda to the Democratic Republic of Congo to face trial for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Kivus. [HL3194]
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We have made no representations to the Governments of Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as to how they should handle this issue, nor have we discussed the case in the fora of the African Union, EU or UN. We understand that detailed bilateral discussions, on a political and legal level, are under way between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the case of Laurent Nkunda to establish whether the legal problems in extradition, including the DRC's retention of the death penalty, can be overcome. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to implement the recommendations of Carriage of Mobility Scooters on Public Transport-Feasibility Study, published by the Department for Transport in 2006, to "widen the definition of the reference wheelchair to include 'mobility aids'", to issue guidance on which mobility scooters are suitable for use on public transport, and to ensure that operators should be required to transport such scooters. [HL3211]
To ask Her Majesty's Government when guidelines will be made available to all local bus operators regarding the use of wheelchairs and mobility scooters on their services; and how passengers will be made aware of any specifications with which their mobility scooters must comply. [HL3212]
The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The feasibility study identified areas where further work is required in order that firm policy and guidance be formulated. The study suggested that smaller and lighter mobility scooters ("class 2" devices) equipped with dry cell or gel batteries could be safely carried on public transport in the right circumstances. The Department for Transport continues to keep this matter under review.
Guidance for users of public transport services Get wise to using public transport has been published by the British Healthcare Trades Association in conjunction with the Department for Transport, and can be found at:
www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/tipws/getwheelchairwise/getwheelchairwiseawheelchair6l66.
The guidance highlights that it may be possible for class 2 scooters to be carried but that it is a decision for the individual operator as to whether they carry mobility scooters on their services, given that the design of individual buses and levels of occupancy may impinge on what is practicable in different places.
The department has also published guidance about using buses and coaches in the form of frequently asked questions for disabled passengers, which is on the department's website at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/buses/frequentlyaskedquestions?page=2.
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