HC Deb 22 November 2000 vol 357 cc250-5W
Mr. Dismore

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if stocked wine cellars provided for the use of judges in judges' lodgings are provided(a) free of charge, (b) at cost price or (c) at commercial price; and if he will make a statement. [139148]

Jane Kennedy

Stocked wine cellars are not provided for judges. Any wine purchased by the lodgings manager for consumption during periods of judicial occupation is purchased at retail prices and is paid for from the judges' weekly allowance.

Mr. Dismore

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance is given to High Court judges on using judges' lodgings for(a) formal and (b) private entertaining; what budget is given to each judge for formal entertaining; and what the total amount spent on entertaining by judges using lodgings was in each of the last five years. [139227]

Jane Kennedy

Guidance agreed with the Judiciary on the use of lodgings states that entertaining should generally not exceed one formal lunch party and one dinner party per week and thatnumbers invited to lunch parties are in any event expected to be modest".

There is no other guidance relating to private entertaining.

A weekly allowance of £310 per week is made where one judge occupies a lodgings and £230 per week per judge where a lodgings is occupied by two judges or more, to cover the cost of all food and drink for judge, clerk and marshal. This sum also has to cover all formal entertaining. Should a judge exceed the allowance allocated, for whatever reason, the additional expenditure will be paid by the judge.

No separate records are held of the cost of formal entertaining.

Mr. Dismore

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions judges used judges' lodgings for(a) formal lunches, (b) formal dinners and (c) other formal entertaining (i) on average and (ii) in total, indicating the lodging which had (A) the greatest and (B) the least use in each of the last five years. [139228]

Judges' lodgings staffing details for the year 1999–2000
No Lodgings Total number of staff at lodgings Job description Staff wages(£) Other staff costs (£)
1 Birmingham 10 Lodgings Manager/Butler Housekeeperm Domestic x 7 Chef 70,393.00 282.00
2 Bristol 7 Lodgings Manager/Chef Butler Domestic x 5 79,309.00 2,400.00
3 Caernarfon 3 Domestic Butler Chef 15,847.06
4 Cardiff 6 Lodgings Manager/Butler Housekeeper Domestic x 3 Chef 80,626.00 1,142.00
5 Carlisle 2 Housekeeper/Cook Domestic/Waitress 2 2
6 Chelmsford 4 Housekeeper/Butler Domestic/Waitress x 2 Chef 114,033.86 1182
7 Chester 5 Lodgings Manager/Butler Chef Domestic x 3 65,582.56 576.00
8 Exeter 4 Manager Deputy Manager Domestic x 2 2 2
9 Leeds 10 Lodgings Manager/Butler

Chef Housekeeper Domestic x 7

113,724.00 1,048.00
10 Leicester 4 Steward Domestic Butler Cook 15,985.46
11 Lewes 4 Lodgings Manager/Cook Assistant Housekeeper Domestic x 2 56,585.00 597.00

Jane Kennedy

No records are held of the number of formal lunches, dinners or other entertaining by judges at lodgings. The guidance on the use of lodgings agreed with the judiciary states that entertaining should not exceed one formal lunch party and one dinner party per week.

Mr. Dismore

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list for each judges' lodging(a) the number and (b) the job descriptions of staff employed to service the lodging and serve judges staying there and (c) the annual (i) staff wages and (ii) staff costs for each lodging. [139230]

Jane Kennedy

The information is contained in the table.

Because staffing numbers at the hired lodgings (and some of the permanent ones) vary depending on judicial occupation, actual staffing levels for the period 1999–2000 have been given.

The figure for other staff costs comprises staff travel and subsistence costs incurred on business related to the lodgings.

Judges' lodgings staffing details for the year 1999–2000
No. Lodgings Total number of staff at lodgings Job description Staff wages (£) Other staff costs (£)
12 Lincoln 4 Domestic x 2

Lodgings Manager/Cook

Butler

15,057.00
13 Liverpool 8 Lodgings Manager/Chef

Butler

Housekeeper

Domestic x 5

76,703.62 1,550.00
14 Maidstone 5 Lodgings Manager/Chef

Assistant Housekeeper

Domestic x 3

45,528.88 775.00
15 Manchester 11 Lodgings Manager

Housekeeper

Chef

Domestic x 8

129,009.80 1,058.00
16 Mold 3 Domestic

Lodgings Manager/Butler

Cook

17,576.98
17 Northampton 3 Domestic

Lodgings Manager/Cook

Butler

16,170.19
18 Norwich 5 Lodgings Manager/Butler

Chef

Domestic x 3

44,412.00 411.00
19 Nottingham 6 Lodgings Manager/Butler

Housekeeper

Chef

Domestic x 3

71,759.00 184.00
20 Oxford 3 Domestic

Chef/Lodgings Manager

Butler

113,152.7 1232
21 Plawsworth 8 Lodgings Manager/Butler

Housekeeper

Chef

Domestic x 5

103,360.91 939.00
22 Plymouth 4 Domestic

x 2 Lodgings Manager/Chef

Butler

14,211.77 128.00
23 Preston 6 Lodgings Manager

Domestic x 3

Butler

Chef

64,940.92 655.00
24 Reading 4 Lodgings Manager

Housekeeper

Domestic

Chef

14,320.70 21.00
25 Sheffield 6 Lodgings Manager

Butler

Chef

Domestic x 3

65,500.00 588.00
26 St. Albans 4 Lodgings Manager

Housekeeper

Domestic

Chef

114,729.31 97.00
27 Stafford 6 Housekeeper

Cook

Assistant Cook/Housekeeper

Domestic x 2

Butler

13,930.46

Judges' lodgings staffing details for the year 1999–2000
No. Lodgings Total number of staff at lodgings Job description Staff wages(£) Other staff costs(£)
28 Swansea 4 Lodgings Manager/Chef Domestic x 2 Butler 59,994.46 556.00
29 Truro 4 Domestic x 2 Lodgings Manager/Chef Butler 11,275.00 161.00
30 Warwick 4 Chef Domestic x 2 Butler 23,735.90
31 Winchester 9 Lodgings Manager/Cook ButlerAssistant Housekeeper/Assistant Cook Domestic x 6 90,039.00 648.00
32 Worcester 3 Domestic Butler Cook 5,032.03 87.00
Total 169 1,351,550.19 13,614.00
1 Some staff are provided as part of the overall hire charge. No split of the cost of salaries is available.
2 This is a hired lodgings and staff are provided as part of the overall hire charge. No split of the cost of salaries is available.