Family Graduated Fees Scheme (Hansard, 26 February 2001)

§ Mr. Hawkins
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Lord Chancellor will assess the final comments he invited the Family Law Bar Association to provide, before seeking to implement any new family graduated fees scheme. [150663]

§ Jane Kennedy
The Lord Chancellor and I are considering the comments made by the Family Law Bar Association in response to the Lord Chancellor's final proposals on the structure of the scheme and rates to be 577W paid and on the draft regulations to bring the scheme into force. The Lord Chancellor has previously agreed revisions to the structure of the scheme to address a number of concerns raised by the Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association.

§ Mr. Hawkins
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultations the Lord Chancellor has had with the Family Law Bar Association regarding a new family graduated fees scheme. [150662]

§ Jane Kennedy
The Lord Chancellor and I have consulted extensively with the Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association. The main consultation period was extended by a number of weeks at the request of the Bar Council to allow further time for consideration of the Lord Chancellor's proposals Following the consultation exercise, the Lord Chancellor has met with the chairman of the Bar Council on several occasions to discuss the concerns raised by the Family Law Bar Association.

Project Commencement padate Completion date Cost (£) Comment

IMS (Itineraries Management System) Not yet finalised March 2002 800,000 Currently in the specification stage. No contract awarded, completion and cost figures are estimates only.

CLAT 2 (Centralisation of Crown Court Legal Aid) Not yet finalised February 2002 ¹— Currently in the specification stage, no contract awarded; go-live is an estimate only No cost information is available, as indicative prices have not yet been sought from suppliers.

XGSI (connection to Government secure Intranet for transmission of confidential material) April 2001 Not yet known ¹— The full scope of the project is currently being finalised. PFI suppliers are preparing design and costs for a range of options and we are therefore not yet in a position to confirm completion date or cost.

¹ Not yet known

§ Mr. Field
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the IT projects currently undertaken in his Department; and if he will state the(a) expected completion date and (b) cost of each project. [151514]

§ Mr. Lock
The following is a list of the IT projects currently undertaken in the Lord Chancellor's Department. Probity and value for money in contracting for IT projects is ensured through compliance with EC

Project Completion Date Cost Comment

MIS (Management Information System) Late 2002 £14 million MIS is being implemented in three phases. The completion date shown reflects the expected implementation date for Phase 3.

CLAT (Criminal Legal Aid Transition) March 2001 £575,000 —

LIBRA Late 2003 £318 million LIBRA is a PFI project. The completion date relates to the physical rollout of the service. The cost shown relates to the provision of the service over the life of the contract (i.e. 2013) and includes physical rollout and ongoing service charges.

CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) April 2001 £5.8 million IT Infrastructure project initiated by the Lord Chancellor's Department. CAFCASS will become an NDPB from 1 April 2001.

Project	Commencement padate	Completion date	Cost (£)	Comment
IMS (Itineraries Management System)	Not yet finalised	March 2002	800,000	Currently in the specification stage. No contract awarded, completion and cost figures are estimates only.
CLAT 2 (Centralisation of Crown Court Legal Aid)	Not yet finalised	February 2002	¹—	Currently in the specification stage, no contract awarded; go-live is an estimate only No cost information is available, as indicative prices have not yet been sought from suppliers.
XGSI (connection to Government secure Intranet for transmission of confidential material)	April 2001	Not yet known	¹—	The full scope of the project is currently being finalised. PFI suppliers are preparing design and costs for a range of options and we are therefore not yet in a position to confirm completion date or cost.
¹ Not yet known

Project	Completion Date	Cost	Comment
MIS (Management Information System)	Late 2002	£14 million	MIS is being implemented in three phases. The completion date shown reflects the expected implementation date for Phase 3.
CLAT (Criminal Legal Aid Transition)	March 2001	£575,000	—
LIBRA	Late 2003	£318 million	LIBRA is a PFI project. The completion date relates to the physical rollout of the service. The cost shown relates to the provision of the service over the life of the contract (i.e. 2013) and includes physical rollout and ongoing service charges.
CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)	April 2001	£5.8 million	IT Infrastructure project initiated by the Lord Chancellor's Department. CAFCASS will become an NDPB from 1 April 2001.