§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Ribble Valley constituency, the effects on Ribble Valley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157853]
§ Mr. LockThe Lord Chancellor's Department is responsible for the administration of the courts and for legal services. We have taken steps to improve the management and effectiveness of the services we provide and to meet customer needs, including working closely with other agencies to provide a fair, swift and effective system of justice, improve the availability of affordable and good quality legal services and to improve the lives of children and help build and sustain strong families.
158WIn particular, the Ribble Valley constituency is covered by the East Lancashire Community Legal Service Partnership. As at 11 April 2001, the Legal Services Commission had let Community Legal Service contracts to 42 solicitors' offices and three Not for Profit (NfP) organisations. The expected expenditure value in the financial year 2001–02 of solicitor-type contracts is £1,385,000; for the NfP-type contracts it is £290,000. The contracts cover a range of categories, including family, welfare benefits, debt and immigration.
As at 18 April 2001, 25 firms in Ribble Valley had signed Criminal Defence Service contracts for 2001–02. During the year, the total value of payments for work done under these contracts is expected to be approximately £4,633,000.