House of Commons Hansard Debates for 13 Jun 1991

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 13 June 1991 ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Court Appeals

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements are available to review convictions which have been upheld on appeal from the magistrates court to the Crown Court, but in relation to which new evidence has come to light after the Crown Court appeal ; and if he will make a statement.

The Attorney-General : There is no statutory power to enable such convictions to be reviewed or appealed against although the Divisional Court has held that it has, in its supervisory jurisdiction, power to quash the conviction of a defendant who pleaded quilty on the basis of flawed evidence unwittingly relied on by the prosecution or whose conviction was obtained by fraud, collusion, perjury or other like matter. I refer the hon. and learned Gentleman to the judgment in R. v. Bolton Justices Ex Parte Scally which is reported at [1991] 2All ER 619 and at [1991] 1 QB 537.

Legislation Texts

Mr. Dunn : To ask the Attorney-General if he will review the arrangements for enabling the public to have access to the texts of legislation ; and if he will make a statement.

The Attorney-General : The Lord Chancellor recognises that he has a responsibility, on behalf of the Government, to ensure that satisfactory arrangements are made for the publication of the statute book, in order that the citizen may know by what laws he is bound. Since 1868, the Statute Law Committee, established by Lord Chancellor Cairns, has met periodically to consider issues relating to the publication of the statute book. In recent times it has been assisted by an editorial board to supervise the publication of statutes in force and by a secretariat. The Lord Chancellor has come to the conclusion that these somewhat complex arrangements are not best suited, under modern conditions, for the effective discharge of this responsibility. He has, therefore, decided to replace the committee, and its subordinate bodies, with a single body to be known as the Advisory Committee on Statute Law. This body will advise him as and when required on all matters relating to the publication of the statute book, including the availability of up-to-date texts in both printed and electronic form. It will meet under his chairmanship or that of his Permanent Secretary, and its membership will comprise the Clerk of the Parliaments, the Clerk of the House of Commons, the Chairman of the Law Commission, the chairman of the Scottish Law Commission, First Parliamentary Counsel, the legal secretary to the Lord Advocate and First Scottish Parliamentary Counsel, First Legislative Counsel for Northern Ireland, the Treasury Solicitor, the Solicitor to

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the Scottish Office, and representatives from Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the Lord Chancellor's Department. In addition, it will be able to involve user and consumer groups as necessary, either by way of consultation or by invitation to attend meetings of the Committee.

CIVIL SERVICE

Public Appointments

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the full-time and part-time public appointments for which his office was responsible for each of the past five years together with the salary and the date when each appointment is due for renewal.

Mr. Renton : In the past five years, my office has been responsible for a number of appointments to the Civil Service Appeal Board. The appointments are fee-paid. Chairmen are normally appointed for three years and deputy chairmen and members for two years. Further details may be found in "Public Bodies" which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Hospitality Fund

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the expenditure covered by his office's hospitality fund for the financial years (a) 1989-90, (b) 1990-91 and (c) 1991-92 to date.

Mr. Tim Renton : Expenditure by my office, excluding No. 10 Downing street and my executive agencies, on hospitality, is as follows :


           |£          

-----------------------

1989-90    |6,702      

1990-91    |4,393      

<1>1991-92 |1,422      

<1> To date.

THE ARTS

Public Appointments

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will list the full-time and part-time public appointments for which his office was responsible for each of the past five years together with the salary and the date when each appointment is due for renewal.

Mr. Renton : I refer the hon. Member to the annual publication "Public Bodies" and to the Women's National Commission's "Handbook for Women's Organisations" published in July, 1990. My office is the sponsor department for a large number of public bodies. The verification and provision of the termination date of each board or council member's appointment would, I regret, involve

disproportionate costs.

Hospitality Fund

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Mr. Tim Renton : The Office of Arts and Libraries has spent £5, 741 on official hospitality in 1989-90, £2,890 in 1990-91, and £1,262 in 1991-92 to date.

Video Recordings

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will list the titles of the video recordings purchased by his office during the financial years 1990-91 and 1991-92 to date.

Mr. Renton : "The Cook Report : Raiders of the Lost Art"--ITV, 29 April 1991. No purchases were made in 1990-91.

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Energy Efficiency

Mr. Dobson : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will give for each available year from 1978, the energy consumption, broken down by fuel, of the buildings occupied by his Department, expressing the figures in (a) cash terms, (b) 1990-91 money terms and (c) units of consumption for electricity in kilowatt hours, gas in therms, liquid fuel in litres and solid fuel in tonnes ; and if he will give the square footage of accommodation to which these figures relate.

Mr. Renton [holding answer 3 June 1991] : The information requested by the hon. Member is available only in (a) cash and (b) 1990-91 money terms from 1987-88, and (c) in units of consumption from 1989-90. This is given in the table :

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