§ Lord Lipseyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many judges' lodgings are still used as such; what is the actual cost of running them; how many nights on average each one is occupied by a judge; how many staff work in them; how many are open to the public to visit; and what is their estimated capital value if they were to be sold off. [HL2565]
§ The Lord ChancellorThere are 32 judges' lodgings (including the use of hired lodgings), the annual cost of which was £4.98 million for financial year 1999–2000.
142WAThe 19 permanent lodgings were, on average, used for 282 judge nights and the 13 hired lodgings for 51 judge nights during the period of the last financial year.
A total of 126 posts exist across the lodgings, of which 41 are permanent full-time staff
No permanent lodgings are open to the public.
The Court Service has a saleable interest in 14 of the lodgings with an estimated capital valuation of £6.94 million.
A review of judges' lodgings is currently under way and is scheduled to report in July 2000. The review is charged with:
- (i) Reviewing the current location of lodgings, having regard to their degree of use, and the maximum acceptable travelling times to the Court Centres they serve;
- (ii) Comparing value for money provided by lodgings (including past and future capital, running, incidental and opportunity costs) with alternative forms of accommodation providing appropriate standards of security, privacy and comfort; and
- (iii) Making recommendations concerning the most economical means of managing and staffing lodgings.