House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 29 Jul 1998 (pt 20)

Wilton Park

Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Wilton Park executive agency performed against the targets agreed for 1997-98; and what are the agreed targets for the current year. [54154]

Mr. Fatchett: Wilton Park exceeded all four of the agreed targets set for the 1997-98 financial year, for the number of conference participants, income, cost recovery and cost per head to the FCO overall. The 1997-98 targets were:

Income: £1,554K

Recovery of costs from commercial activities: 78 per cent.

Number of Wilton Park Conference participants: 1,750

Costs to FCO per conference participant: £247.

The following key targets have been agreed for the financial year, 1998-99.

To increase overall income to £2,051K.

To increase cost recovery to 81 per cent.

To increase the target for the overall number of Wilton Park Conference participants to 2,000.

To reduce the average cost to the FCO of each participant to £240.

Chagos Archipelago

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to designate vulnerable areas of the Chagos Archipelago as marine protected areas. [51336]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 24 July 1998, Official Report, column 713.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Small Claims Courts

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will establish performance measures for small claims courts for the (a) implementation of orders and (b) response times to correspondence from the public. [51850]

Mr. Hoon: The Court Service is not responsible for implementing court orders. This is for the parties to decide. However, the Court Service aims to prepare court orders and reply to correspondence from the public within 5 working days, but no longer than 10 working days. The target for 1997-98 was 92 per cent. within 5 working days, although the courts' achieved 98.3 per cent. This includes the performance of all county courts and the Supreme Court Group.

29 Jul 1998 : Column: 305

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement procedures for orders made by small claims courts; and if he will make a statement. [51849]

Mr. Hoon: The Lord Chancellor recognises that there are widespread concerns about the enforcement of civil court judgments, including judgments resulting from the small claims procedure.

For that reason, the Lord Chancellor has directed that a Review be carried out to examine the effectiveness of current methods of enforcement, identify changes necessary to enhance their effectiveness and make recommendations. The full Terms of Reference are set out in my reply of 25 March 1998, Official Report, column 141-42.

Ms Marian Temple

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects the Chief

29 Jul 1998 : Column: 306

Clerk of Bow County Court to reply to the letter of 17 April 1998 from Ms Marian Temple, 43a Grove Park Road, Wanstead. [51851]

Mr. Hoon: The Chief Executive of the Court Service wrote to my hon. Friend about this matter on 2 June of this year. This letter was also in reply to Ms Temple's letter of 17 April. At the time Ms Temple wrote, the court was experiencing difficulties and delays largely due to the introduction of a new computerised system, which has been introduced in all county courts. These problems and delays have now been resolved.

Departmental Research

Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the cost of all research undertaken by his Department since May 1997, excluding the cost of green papers and other public consultation documents drafted by his officials; and if he will list in each case the organisations which undertook that research. [52696]

Mr. Hoon: The information requested is listed in the following tables.

29 Jul 1998 : Column: 305

LCD Research projects completed May-December 1997

Project title Cost (£) Date completed Researcher details

Law-and-Economics: State of the Art and Questions for the Future 4,000 May 1997 Professor Anthony Ogus, Rachel Amass University of Manchester

Rationing and Cost-containment in Legal Services 8,000 June 1997 Professor Robert Dingwall, Professor Paul Fenn, Jackie Tuck University of Nottingham

The Workings of the Child Abduction Conventions 6,457 June 1997 Professor Nigel Lowe, Alison Perry University of Wales, Cardiff

Omnibus Survey: Court Customers Experience of the Courts 2,400 July 1997 Office of National Statistics

Review of the Court of Appeal 13,486 July 1997 Professor Hazel Genn University College London Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson Consultants in Management, IT and the Law

Regulating Legal Services 9,000 August 1997 Professor Robert Baldwin London School of Economics

The use of Judicial Appointment Commissions: A Review of the US and Canadian Models 2,250 August 1997 Dr. Kate Malleson London School of Economics

Judicial Appointments in Continental Europe 8,400 August 1997 Dr. Cheryl Thomas Wolfson College, Oxford University

Contracting for civil litigation: modeling volumes, access and regional distributions for certified non-matrimonial civil legal aid 1,800 September 1997 Tamara Goriely TPR Social and Legal Research

The Division of Marital Assets Following Divorce With Particular Reference to Pensions 4,900 October 1997 Professor Antony Dnes University of Hertfordshire

Monitoring the Small Claims Limit: Litigants' Experiences of Different Forms of Adjudication 22,800 November 1997 Professor John Baldwin University of Birmingham

Ethnic monitoring of defendants appearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court 1995 3,000 November 1997 Professor Phillip Bean Loughborough University

Total 86,493

LCD Research projects completed or due to complete in 1998

Project title Cost (£) Date completed Researcher details

Contracting For Legal Services with Different Cost Rules 6,200 March 1998 Gwyn Bevan London School of Economics and Political Science Professor Paul Fenn University of Nottingham Dr. Neil Rickman University of Surrey

Costing Fast Track Procedures Through Hypothetical Case Studies 96,000 March 1998 Tamara Goriely, Farah Butt, Professor Avrom Sherr Institute of Advanced Legal Studies

Review Papers on Marriage causes, and ways of preventing marital breakdown 79,150 March 1998 One plus one

ADR in the Court of Appeal--Preliminary Work 5,000 March 1998 Professor Hazel Genn University College London

Economic Impact of Law on Ancillary Relief 4,000 April 1998 Professor Antony Dnes University of Hertfordshire

The Central London County Court Pilot Mediation Scheme--Evaluation Report 23,615 May 1998 Professor Hazel Genn University College London

Effect On Magistrates Of Learning That The Defendant Has A Previous Conviction 33,940 May 1998 Dr. Sally Lloyd-Bostock University of Birmingham

Criminal Justice Reform and the Organisation of Criminal Defence Services 15,200 June 1998 Professor Lee Bridges University of Warwick

Toward a Civil Justice Audit 32,168 June 1998 Professor Joanna Shapland University of Sheffield

Study of the services to litigants in person provided by the Citizens' Advice Bureau in the Royal Courts of Justice 10,693 June 1998 Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson Consultants in Management, IT and the Law

Court Customer Needs 4,200 July 1998 Sarah Beinart (Independant consultant)

Empirical Analysis of Standard Fees in Magistrates' Courts 6,000 July 1998 Professor Paul Fenn University of Nottingham

Review of the law relating to profits from crime 7,500 July 1998 Professor Gareth Jones Trinity College, Cambridge University

Government Policies and Lawyers' Roles 11,075 September 1998 Phillip Lewis Wolfson College, Oxford University

Ancillary Relief Pilot Scheme 206,703 September 1998 KPMG

Applicability to other tribunals and court jurisdictions of organisational principles/practices of the London Parking Appeals Service 22,787 October 1998 Dr. John Raine University of Birmingham

Economic Impact of the Quality of Legal Machinery 2,500 October 1998 Dr. Alice Belcher University of Dundee

Fast Track Simulation Pilot 31,386 December 1998 John Peysner Nottingham Trent University

Information Meeting pilots a monitoring, evaluation, consultation and spatial mapping exercise 692,876 --since May 1997 1998 University of Newcastle

Safeguarding Children's Welfare After Divorce 78,080 --since May 1997 1998 University of Wales

Total 1,369,073

Project title	Cost (£)	Date completed	Researcher details
Law-and-Economics: State of the Art and Questions for the Future	4,000	May 1997	Professor Anthony Ogus, Rachel Amass University of Manchester

Rationing and Cost-containment in Legal Services	8,000	June 1997	Professor Robert Dingwall, Professor Paul Fenn, Jackie Tuck University of Nottingham

The Workings of the Child Abduction Conventions	6,457	June 1997	Professor Nigel Lowe, Alison Perry University of Wales, Cardiff

Omnibus Survey: Court Customers Experience of the Courts	2,400	July 1997	Office of National Statistics

Review of the Court of Appeal	13,486	July 1997	Professor Hazel Genn University College London Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson Consultants in Management, IT and the Law

Regulating Legal Services	9,000	August 1997	Professor Robert Baldwin London School of Economics

The use of Judicial Appointment Commissions: A Review of the US and Canadian Models	2,250	August 1997	Dr. Kate Malleson London School of Economics

Judicial Appointments in Continental Europe	8,400	August 1997	Dr. Cheryl Thomas Wolfson College, Oxford University

Contracting for civil litigation: modeling volumes, access and regional distributions for certified non-matrimonial civil legal aid	1,800	September 1997	Tamara Goriely TPR Social and Legal Research

The Division of Marital Assets Following Divorce With Particular Reference to Pensions	4,900	October 1997	Professor Antony Dnes University of Hertfordshire

Monitoring the Small Claims Limit: Litigants' Experiences of Different Forms of Adjudication	22,800	November 1997	Professor John Baldwin University of Birmingham

Ethnic monitoring of defendants appearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court 1995	3,000	November 1997	Professor Phillip Bean Loughborough University

Total	86,493

Project title	Cost (£)	Date completed	Researcher details

Contracting For Legal Services with Different Cost Rules	6,200	March 1998	Gwyn Bevan London School of Economics and Political Science Professor Paul Fenn University of Nottingham Dr. Neil Rickman University of Surrey
Costing Fast Track Procedures Through Hypothetical Case Studies	96,000	March 1998	Tamara Goriely, Farah Butt, Professor Avrom Sherr Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
Review Papers on Marriage causes, and ways of preventing marital breakdown	79,150	March 1998	One plus one
ADR in the Court of Appeal--Preliminary Work	5,000	March 1998	Professor Hazel Genn University College London
Economic Impact of Law on Ancillary Relief	4,000	April 1998	Professor Antony Dnes University of Hertfordshire
The Central London County Court Pilot Mediation Scheme--Evaluation Report	23,615	May 1998	Professor Hazel Genn University College London
Effect On Magistrates Of Learning That The Defendant Has A Previous Conviction	33,940	May 1998	Dr. Sally Lloyd-Bostock University of Birmingham
Criminal Justice Reform and the Organisation of Criminal Defence Services	15,200	June 1998	Professor Lee Bridges University of Warwick
Toward a Civil Justice Audit	32,168	June 1998	Professor Joanna Shapland University of Sheffield
Study of the services to litigants in person provided by the Citizens' Advice Bureau in the Royal Courts of Justice	10,693	June 1998	Joyce Plotnikoff and Richard Woolfson Consultants in Management, IT and the Law
Court Customer Needs	4,200	July 1998	Sarah Beinart (Independant consultant)
Empirical Analysis of Standard Fees in Magistrates' Courts	6,000	July 1998	Professor Paul Fenn University of Nottingham
Review of the law relating to profits from crime	7,500	July 1998	Professor Gareth Jones Trinity College, Cambridge University
Government Policies and Lawyers' Roles	11,075	September 1998	Phillip Lewis Wolfson College, Oxford University
Ancillary Relief Pilot Scheme	206,703	September 1998	KPMG
Applicability to other tribunals and court jurisdictions of organisational principles/practices of the London Parking Appeals Service	22,787	October 1998	Dr. John Raine University of Birmingham
Economic Impact of the Quality of Legal Machinery	2,500	October 1998	Dr. Alice Belcher University of Dundee
Fast Track Simulation Pilot	31,386	December 1998	John Peysner Nottingham Trent University
Information Meeting pilots a monitoring, evaluation, consultation and spatial mapping exercise	692,876 --since May 1997	1998	University of Newcastle
Safeguarding Children's Welfare After Divorce	78,080 --since May 1997	1998	University of Wales

Total	1,369,073

29 Jul 1998 : Column: 307

Combined research costs May 1997-98 £

May-December 1997 86,493

January-December 1998 1,369,073

Grand Total 1,455,566

Combined research costs May 1997-98	£
May-December 1997	86,493
January-December 1998	1,369,073

Grand Total	1,455,566

In addition, £18,853 has been contributed to a study entitled 'Baseline Customer Research' commissioned by the Legal Services Ombudsman. The study is being run by Customer Management Consultancy Ltd and is due to complete in March 1999.

29 Jul 1998 : Column: 309

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