HC Deb 29 February 1996 vol 272 cc658-9W
Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the total expenditure by his Department on(a) staff, (b) services, (c) offices and (d) other categories on the Isle of Wight in 1994–95. [16768]

Mr. Jonathan Evans

The Lord Chancellor's Department spent the following amounts on the Isle of Wight in 1994–95:

  1. (a) staff £238,241
  2. (b) services £169,764
  3. (c) offices £47,633
  4. (d) other categories.

Some £191,556 of legal aid payments were made through the Crown court on the Isle of Wight. Expenditure from the legal aid fund cannot be identified separately. The Legal Aid Board administers applications and bills regionally and payments to Isle of Wight practitioners could be identified only by scrutinising each bill at the regional office.

In addition, local authority expenditure on magistrates courts on the Isle of Wight was £747,361. The Lord Chancellor's Department pays grants to local authorities at a rate of 80 per cent. of approved expenditure of magistrates courts.