§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average length of time between serving of a notice of seeking possession on a tenant of a local authority and the granting of possession where the application was successful(a) in England and Wales, (b) in the West Midlands counties and (c) in Birmingham in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement on his proposals to speed up the process. [136288]
§ Mr. LockInformation about the length of time between serving a notice of possession on a tenant of a local authority and the granting of possession is not collected.
The Lord Chancellor's Consultation paper entitled: "Access to Justice: Housing and Land proposed new procedures", was issued on 19 July 2000 and included proposals to streamline possession proceedings and tackle unnecessary delay. The proposals were welcomed by the majority of those who responded to the consultation. Draft rules, taking into account the comments received, are currently being considered by the Civil Procedure Rule Committee.
The Lord Chancellor's review of civil enforcement has concluded that service standards should be introduced to the courts, setting a target for evictions to be carried out no later than four weeks after the bailiff first receives the warrant.