HC Deb 27 March 2001 vol 365 cc608-9W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which courthouses in the Thames Valley magistrates courts committee area(a) do not meet the statutory requirements for disability and (b) do not comply with the provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998 with regard to custody cases. [155814]

Jane Kennedy

The Thames Valley magistrates courts committee has made an assessment of its accommodation. Based on this assessment, the courthouses at Banbury, Bicester, Bracknell, Didcot, Maidenhead, Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Slough, Thame, Wantage and Witney do not fully meet the current statutory requirements for disability. The custody areas at Banbury, Oxford and Witney courthouse, require work to remove potential ligature points and install panic alarms. Works will be carried out during tie 2001–02 financial year to improve this position.

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department for how many hours each courtroom in the Thames Valley magistrates courts committee area was used in each of the last three years. [155813]

Jane Kennedy

Sitting hours were collected for the calendar year up to the end of 1998, and for the financial year from April 1999 onwards. No data were collected centrally for the period January to March 1999. Data are given for the three completed quarters in the current financial year. The information is in the table.

Sitting hours
Courthouse Courtrooms January-December 1998 April 1999-March 2000 April 2000-December 2000
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 1 675.00 3,080.65 540.85
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 2 770.00 344.45 631.25
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 3 1,295.00 640.05 952.20
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 4 1,090.00 595.05 898.25
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 5 570.00 393.80 486.30
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 6 520.00 355.65 382.70
301 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes 7 460.00 202.70 862.40
Mill Lane, Newbury 1 972.00 904.50 651.75
Mill Lane, Newbury 2 786.50 694.25 520.50
Mill Lane, Newbury 3 145.00 193.00 145.50
Speedwell Street, Oxford 1 1,340.40 1,397.10 850.00
Speedwell Street, Oxford 2 1,043.20 1,067.40 898.00
Speedwell Street, Oxford 3 1,022.80 1,120.50 861.00
Speedwell Street, Oxford 4 707.80 796.20 774.00
Speedwell Street, Oxford 5 564.70 535.40 603.75
Speedwell Street, Oxford 6 48.70 35.80 170.25
Civic Centre, Reading 1 971.25 833.00 617.25
Civic Centre, Reading 2 1,189.25 1,189.75 832.00
Civic Centre, Reading 3 1,131.50 1,211.25 847.75
Civic Centre, Reading 4 606.50 548.00 468.50
Civic Centre. Reading 5 761.00 771.00 564.25
Civic Centre, Reading 6 366.00 258.25 258.50
Chalvey Park, Slough 1 667.75 1.195.25 820.25
Chalvey Park, Slough 2 710.00 1,064.75 835.50
Chalvey Park. Slough 3 517.50 558.05 400.00
Lower High Street, Thame 1 668.10 600.60 292.00
Lower High Street, Thame 2 113.20 93.10 28.00
Church Street, Wantage 1 349.20 430.20 328.75
Church Street. Wantage 2 104.70 79.50 44.00
Alma Road. Windsor 1 542.25 Closed —
Alma Road, Windsor 2 278.75 Closed —
Welch Way, Witney 1 643.00 539.90 417.00
Welch Way, Witney 2 419.00 434.30 268.95
Easton Street. High Wycombe 1 946.00 791.00 519.50
Easton Street, High Wycombe 2 1,200.00 958.95 961.00
Easton Street, High Wycombe 3 720.00 527.25 628.00
Easton Street, High Wycombe 4 750.00 594.25 646.75
Wycombe Directions — 39.50 45.00
Grand totals — 38,130.20 36,462.97 29,313.05

Notes:

  1. 1. Thames Valley MCC was created in April 1999.
  2. 2. Data for the earlier year is the aggregation of Berkshire and Oxfordshire MCC and Buckinghamshire MCC.