| Home Page |
Column 1
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 16 October 1995
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Small Claims Cases
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to introduce measures to reduce the delays which occur at small claims courts; what research he has conducted on the cost of these delays to public funds; and if he will make a statement. [36948]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Peter Atkinson, dated 16 October 1995:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about delays in the small claims courts.
The Court Service is pursuing a range of initiatives designed to reduce delays in all types of case in the civil courts, including plans to computerise the county courts to increase both speed and efficiency in the handling of paperwork and the production of orders and notices. It is also working with the Lord Chancellor's Department on consideration of procedural reforms following Lord Woolf's interim report on access to justice.
At present, over the Court Service as a whole, 94% of administrative work is dealt with within the target of five days or less in the Charter for Court Users. New targets have been set for hearing civil cases. Cases expected to last less than 15 minutes should be heard within 30 days of the court being asked to arrange a date; for longer cases the target is 40 days. At present District Judges hear 98% of short cases and 71% of long cases within target. I am not aware of significant delays in small claims cases but would be glad to investigate any particular instances.
No research has been conducted on the cost of any delays in small claims cases to public funds.
Mr. Atkinson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research his Department has conducted into the effects that increasing the small claims limit to £3,000 will have on the small claims procedure; and if he will name the courts where pilot schemes have been conducted. [36949]
Mr. Taylor: An increase in the small claims limit would not affect the nature of the small claims procedure. No pilot schemes have been conducted. However, if the small claims limit is increased, the effects of this will be closely monitored, as recommended by Lord Woolf.
Mr. Atkinson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to introduce measures which will allow people to choose to opt out of the small claims procedure if the limit is increased to £3,000; and if he will make a statement. [36950]
Column 2
Mr. Taylor: Under the rules of court, district judges have discretion to order a case to be referred out of the small claims procedure if it meets certain criteria. The judge can order this after considering the defence, either on application by a party or of his own accord.
Legal Aid
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the level of weekly disposable income below which (a) free legal aid and (b) contributory legal aid was available in (i) 1979, (ii) 1993, (iii) 1994 and (iv) 1995; what was the percentage of the adult population eligible for (a) and (b) in each of those years; and what is the present- day value in real terms of these disposable income levels. [35545]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The hon. Member will recall that I was unable to provide him with an answer to his question earlier this year. I am now in a position to do so and it is set out in the tables. It is not possible to calculate figures to show the percentage of the adult population eligible for (a) free legal aid and (b) contributory legal aid so I have shown eligible households instead. All figures are annual ones.
Table 1-Levels of annual disposable income for non-contributory and contributory civil legal aid Year |Non-contributory|Contributory |PI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1979 |7,500 |3,600 |- 1993 |2,294 |6,800 |7,750 1994 |2,382 |7,060 |7,780 1995 |2,425 |7,187 |7,920
Table 2-What is the present day value in real terms of these disposable levels Year |Non-contributory|Contributory |PI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1979 |3,816 |9,138 |- 1993 |2,403 |7,126 |7,860 1994 |2,439 |7,229 |7,935 1995 |2,425 |7,187 |7,920 Note: 1979 figures have been uprated from the retail prices index: "All items excluding Housing" series since 1979.
Table 3-Percentage of households eligible for non-contributory and contributory civil legal aid (figures given are combined totals) Year |Contributory|PI ---------------------------------------------------- 1979 |77.2 |- 1993 |48.17 |50.66 (PI) 1994 |48.45 |51.25 (PI) 1995 |47.26 |49.67 (PI) Note: In 1979 the percentage eligible for non-contributory legal aid was 28 per cent. It is more difficult since 1993 to accurately estimate the percentage eligible for non-contributory legal aid. We believe that the figure is in the region of 20 per cent. to 25 per cent.
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of how many cases the legal aid fund has reimbursed the costs of a successful opponent in each of the past five years. [37158]
Mr. Taylor: It is not possible to identify exactly the number of cases in which the legal aid fund has reimbursed the costs of a successful unassisted party
Column 3
under the terms of section 18 of the Legal Aid Act 1988; the Legal Aid Board records the number of payments made but not the number of cases in which section 18 costs are reimbursed. The number of payments made each year was:1990 91: 119
1991 92: 134
1992 93: 171
1993 94: 186
1994 95: 158
Although it is possible that more than one payment may be made in a small number of cases, costs are usually reimbursed by way of a single payment.
Mr. Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the current annual expenditure on legal aid in Britain; and what are the equivalent figures in other EU countries. [37215]
Mr. Taylor: Annual net provision for legal aid expenditure in the United Kingdom, excluding administration, for the current financial year is as follows:
|£m
------------------------------
England and Wales |1,457
Scotland |133
Northern Ireland |22
In the time available it has not been possible to obtain equivalent figures for other EU countries.
Personal Injury Cases
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Lord Chancellor plans to implement Lord Woolf's recommendation that small personal injury claims under £1,000 should be exempt from the small claims procedure; and if he will make a statement. [36951]
Mr. John M Taylor: In his interim report on access to justice Lord Woolf recommendation that all personal injury cases up to £10,000 should be dealt with in the fast track. Lord Woolf is presently developing his detailed proposals for the fast track.
Mr. Atkinson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of similarities shared by road traffic accident cases and personal injury cases in the area of assessing liability and quantum, and if he will make a statement. [36944]
Mr. Taylor: Insofar as the damages claimed are for personal injuries, road traffic accident cases are treated in the same way as other personal injury claims.
Financial Penalties
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he has taken or intends to take to monitor the delays by those found guilty of criminal actions in payment to their victims of sums ordered by the courts; and if he will make a statement concerning the efficacy of such
arrangements. [37333]
Mr. John M. Taylor: My Department has set up a working group under the chairmanship of a senior official to identify and promote good practice in the enforcement
Column 4
of financial penalties--including compensation to victims--and recommended procedural, administrative or legislative changes which would improve the enforcement of such penalties. The group is considering what modifications and improvements may be made to management information systems in the magistrates courts to secure better monitoring of arrears. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) on 19 July, Official Report , columns 1300 01 --the working group is expected to continue for at least a year but it hopes to be in a position to issue guidance to the courts as and when conclusions are reached during that period.Outsourcing Contracts
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many outsourcing contracts were granted by his Department or agencies in each year since 1990, indicating the nature and value of each contract; and if any additional work was added and of what value to (a) Hoskyns/Cap Gemini Segeti, (b) AT and T Istel, (c) EDS, (d) Sema Group, (e) Datasolve, (f) ITN Net, (g) Anderson Consulting, (h) Centre File, (i) BIS, (j) Telecom Capita, (k) ICL, (l) Digital Equipment, (m) CFM, (n) Siemens, (o) Nixdorf, (p) CMG and (q) Logica. [36995]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Chief Executives of the Land Registry and the Public Record Office will respond on behalf of their agencies. The chief executives of the Public Trust Office will also respond on behalf of this agency for expenditure from 1 July 1994.
For my Department, including the Court Service agency, two outsourcing contracts have been granted since 1990, one to Capita--the parent company of Telecom Capita--for specific research work at a value of £40,851 in the financial year 1992 93 and one to Digital Equipment for system development and implementation at a value of £429,362 in the financial year 1993 94. Additional work for the latter contract came to £16,346.
Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 16 October 1995:
I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question about outsourcing contracts. The Public Record Office granted no outsourcing contracts to any of the companies which you list. It did, however, grant a turnkey contract for the supply of hardware, software, specially written software and services to Logica in December 1991. The value of this contact, as published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, was £1,318,265. Two further small contracts for enhancements were awarded to Logica in 1994 and 1995. The value of these is restricted on commercial grounds.
Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 16 October 1995:
I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning outsourcing contacts granted since 1990. HM Land Registry has granted no such contracts during the period to the 16 organisations specified.
Letter from Julia C. Lomes to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 16 October 1995:
The Parliamentary Secretary has asked me to reply as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your Parliamentary Question, listed on 20 July 1995, regarding outsourcing contracts awarded each year since 1990.
Column 5
The Public Trust Office became an Executive Agency on 1 July 1994 and since that date no outsourcing contracts have been awarded by this office. The Public Trust Office will be covered by the Lord Chancellor's Department reply in respect of the period from 1990 to 30 June 1994.LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Outsourcing Contracts
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Lord President of the Council how many outsourcing contracts were granted by his Department or agencies in each year since 1990, indicating the nature and value of each contract; and if any additional work was added and of what value to (a) Hoskyns/Cap Gemini Segeti, (b) AT and T Istel, (c) EDS, (d) Sema Group, (e) Datasolve, (f) ITN Net, (g) Andersen Consulting, (h) Centre File, (i) BIS, (j) Telecom Capita, (k) ICL, (l) Digital Equipment, (m) CFM, (n) Siemens, (o) Nixdorf, (p) CMG and (q) Logica. [36967]
Mr. Newton: The Privy Council Office has granted no contracts to the companies in question in the last five years. I am not responsible for any agencies.
TREASURY
Outsourcing Contracts
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many outsourcing contracts were granted by his Department or agencies in each year since 1990, indicating the nature and value of each contract; and if any additional work was added and of what value to (a) Hoskyn/Cap Gemini Segeti, (b) AT and T Istel, (c) EDS, (d) Sema Group, (e) Datasolve, (f) ITN Net, (g) Andersen Consulting, (h) Centre File, (i) BIS, (j) Telecom Capita, (k) ICL, (l) Digital Equipment, (m) CFM, (n) Siemens, (o) Nixdorf, (p) CMG and (q) Logica. [36999]
Mrs. Angela Knight: I regret that information prior to 1991 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
HM Treasury has not let any outsourcing contracts with the companies listed.
HM Treasury did not have any agencies in the period reported above.
Inheritance Tax
Mr. French: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the revenue that would be lost if principal private residences were excluded from asset valuation for the purposes of inheritance tax liability. [36440]
Mr. Jack: The full-year cost in 1996 97 of excluding principal private residences from asset valuation for the purposes of inheritance tax liability, is estimated at around £300 million. This estimate takes no account of any consequential behavioural changes.
Mr. French: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on house prices of exempting principal private residences from inheritance tax liability. [36441]
Column 6
Mr. Jack: It would be inappropriate to comment on tax matters at this stage in the Budget cycle.
Travel Allowances
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rates of travel allowance may be claimed by civil servants in his Department when using their vehicles for official business. [36351]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The current rates of travel allowance that staff in the Treasury may claim when using their vehicles for official business are as follows:
Standard rate (pence per mile)
|Up to |1501- |Over
Cars with engine |1500 cc |2000 cc |2000 cc
capacity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to 5,000 miles |35.7 |40 |43
Over 5,000 miles |17 |21 |27
Motorcycles with engine capacity
|Up to 125cc|Over 125cc
-----------------------------------------------------------
First, 4,000 miles at: |15.4p |24.7p
Over 4,000 miles at: |5.5p |8.1p
Public Transport Rate (pence per miles)
For use of private motor cars and motorcycles not meeting the insurance, ownership and economy and efficiency rules for payment of the standard rate of allowance
Rate per mile: 22.3
Pedal Cycle Allowance (pence per mile)
Rate per mile: 5.6
Dr. Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the total cost of travel expenses claimed by civil servants using their own vehicles for official business in each of the last five years in his Department; and what would have been the saving in the last year if the maximum rate that could be claimed was set at the lowest rate. [36352]
Mrs. Knight: The total cost of travel expenses claimed by civil servants using their own vehicles for official business in the Treasury in the last five years is as follows:
|£000
------------------
1995-96 |7
1994-95 |21
1993-94 |23
1992-93 |32
1991-92 |29
<1> To date.
The saving in the last full year can only be estimated, as the records on mileages travelled on individual trips by individual officials are currently held manually and it would involve disproportionate cost to work through those. Of the £21,000 shown for 1994 95, only £7,700 was reimbursed at our maximum rates. The saving had reimbursement been at our lower rate in that year is estimated to be approximately £2.900.
Column 7
EDS
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has of the savings to the Inland Revenue over 10 years of the contract between the Inland Revenue and EDS; when the contract was (a) awarded and (b) revised. [36702]
Mr. Jack: When the Inland Revenue signed a 10-year outsourcing contract with EDS in May 1994, the estimated value based on the work load identified in the invitation to tender was £1 billion, which represented a potential saving of £225 million over the in-house costs.
The Inland Revenue is in the process of updating the original estimates to take into account the actual changes to the work load identified in the first year of the contract and revising forecasts for the remaining life of the contract.
This work is not yet complete and therefore revised figures are not yet available.
Earnings
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the distribution of earnings and of ages of households having a first child. [36971]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The table shows the breakdown of households by range of total gross weekly earnings and age of eldest dependent child as estimated from the winter 1994 labour force survey. Benefits are excluded.
Age of eldest
dependent child
|0-5 |6-10 |11-15|>15 |Total
----------------------------------------------
<£200 |6 |6 |10 |5 |27
£201-£300 |4 |4 |4 |2 |14
£301-£400 |4 |4 |5 |2 |16
£401-£500 |4 |4 |4 |2 |13
£501-£600 |2 |2 |3 |2 |9
£601-£700 |2 |2 |2 |2 |7
£701-£800 |1 |1 |1 |2 |5
£801-£900 |1 |1 |1 |2 |3
>£900 |2 |1 |2 |1 |7
Total |26 |25 |31 |18 |100
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate his Department has made of the hourly average rate of pay in manufacturing in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) in each of the members of the European Union; [30074]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the average hourly rate of pay in food retailing. [37005]
Mrs. Knight: Estimates of manufacturing hourly earnings for manual and non-manual workers in the United Kingdom and the other member states of the European Union are published by Eurostat in "Earnings--Industry and Services 1994". This report is available in the House of Commons Library.
More recent information on hourly earnings by industry of full-time adult workers in Great Britain, is shown in tables X2.1 X2.7 of part A of the April 1995 new earnings survey report, also available in the House of Commons Library. Table X2.1 gives date for all manufacturing, and food retailing is shown in table X2.5.
Column 8
Labour Statistics
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his most recent estimate of the number and proportion of the work force in (a) each county and (b) the United Kingdom that are employed in the agriculture and fishing sector. [36722]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The table shows regional estimates from the spring--March to May--1995 labour force survey of the number in employment in agriculture and fishing industries and the proportion they represent of the work force. Estimates for each county are not available.
Spring 1995
Agriculture and
fishing
|All in |As a proportion
|employment |of the work force<1>
|Thousands |Per cent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom |517 |1.8
Northern region |22 |1.5
Yorkshire and
Humberside |47 |1.9
East Midlands |46 |2.2
East Anglia |36 |3.3
Greater London |n/a |n/a
Rest of South East |70 |1.3
South West |79 |3.3
West Midlands |51 |2.0
North West |27 |0.9
Wales |41 |3.2
Scotland |56 |2.3
Northern Ireland |36 |5.1
Source:
Labour Force survey.
n/a Not available; estimate less than 10,000.
<1> Work force is defined as those who are economically active (in employment or
ILO unemployed).
Small Shops (Security Equipment)
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average increase in rateable value for small shops caused by the installation of security equipment; and if he will make a statement. [36947]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Information is not available on the average increase in rateable value for small shops caused by the installation of security equipment.
The effect that security equipment may have on the rateable value of small shops will depend upon its nature and extent. This will vary but, in general, relatively minor security devices fitted in small shops are unlikely to increase the value significantly and in many cases they may not increase the value at all.
Mr. Atkinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines his Department has issued to local valuation offices regarding the rateable value of security devices in small shops. [36945]
Mrs. Knight: No specific guidelines have been issued with regard to the rateable value of security devices in small shops, but valuation officers will consider the rateability and value of such items in line with general guidelines on the rateability of plant and machinery.
Column 9
Government Expenditure
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's estimate of central Government expenditure per head to each English region in each of the last five years. [36726]
Mr. Waldegrave: Identifiable general government expenditure per head by region and function for 1992 93 was published in "Public Expenditure"; Cm 2821, table 7.9. An exercise to collect regional figures for general government expenditure for one financial year only is
Column 10
carried out annually. Figures for the central Government component are not collected separately, nor is a time series available on a consistent basis.European Investment Bank
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what approvals have so far been made under the European Investment Fund for guarantee of loans made for projects within member states of the European Union; and if he will give for each case the purpose of the investment, the amount guaranteed and the financial agency concerned. [37007]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The full list of projects signed is:
Column 9
Name |Country |Sector |Amount (mecu) |Lender guaranteed
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Panafon, SA |Greece |<>TEN<1> telecoms|54.74 |EIB
Groupe Banque Populaire (GBP) |France |<>SME<2> |75.91 |GBP
Telecom Italia |Italy |TEN telecoms |101.38 |EIB
SNAM Trans-mediterraneo |Italy |TEN energy |100.49 |EIB
Aeroporto di Malpensa |Italy |TEN transport |<3>75.59<> |EIB
Transgas |Portugal |TEN |<4>107.22<> |EIB
Total |515.33
Notes:
<1.> Trans-European networks (TEN).
<2.> Small-and medium-sized enterprise (SME).
<3.> 1st tranche of 25.9 mecu signed.
<4.> 1st tranche of 46 mecu signed.
Source:
European Investment Fund Annual Report 1994.
For 1995, the fund's business plan provides for a total volume of guarantees of between 1.2 billion ecu and 1.5 billion ecu, taking into account both business prospects and the recent enlargement of the Union by the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden. It is expected that the proportion of guarantees on loans granted by the European investment bank will reduce to between 60 per cent. and 75 per cent. of total activity and that the mix between TEN and SME operations will be more in line with the business plan projection of 80:20.
Single Currency
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what expenditure has been incurred by the European Monetary Institute in respect of preparation for possible designs banknotes or coinage for a common currency; and on whose authority such expenditure was made. [37269]
Mrs. Angela Knight: The European Monetary Institute has the responsibility of supervising the technical preparation of single currency banknotes under the terms of article 109f(3) of the EC treaty, as amended at Maastricht, which has been ratified by all member states. The accounts published by the European Monetary Institute do not separately identify expenditure incurred in fulfilling this responsibility.
Car Boot Sales
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken to ensure taxation of trading at car boot sales. [37147]
Column 10
Mr. Jack: Those who trade at car boot sales are liable to investigation by the Inland Revenue in the same way as any other trader. The Inland Revenue continuously evaluates all areas where there might be under-declaration of taxable profits.
Privatised Utilities
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from privatised utility regulators suggesting extra taxation to take account of hidden values in respect of the regulated companies. [37071]
Mr. Jack: I receive many representations on a wide variety of tax issues in the run-up to the Budget, but it is not my practice to comment on them individually.
| Next Section
| Home Page |