HC Deb 12 February 2004 vol 417 cc1671-2W
Nick Harvey

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was paid in salaries to those employed in dealing with or administering the work of the Legal Services Commission during calendar year 2003; and if he will make a statement. [154287]

Mr. Lammy

The Legal Services Commission is not able to provide the information in the exact form requested, as it does not calculate salaries on a calendar year basis. The total amount paid in salaries and wages to those employed by the Legal Services Commission in the financial year 2002–03 was £35,056,000. administering the work of the Legal Aid Board in 1996; and if he will make a statement. [154288]

Mr. Lammy

It is not possible to provide the information in the form requested, as the Legal Aid Board did not calculate salaries on a calendar year basis. The total amount paid in salaries and wages to those employed by the Legal Aid Board in the financial year 1996–97 was £22,003,000.

Ian Lucas

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) how many solicitors firms in Wrexham carried out publicly funded matrimonial legal help work in the last three years for which records are available; [154021]

(2) how much has been spent on family mediation in Wrexham from the Legal Help Fund; [154034]

(3) how many matrimonial matter legal help starts were (a) allocated and (b) used in Wrexham in the last three years for which figures are available; [154035]

(4) how much was paid to solicitors' firms in Wrexham for matrimonial legal help work in the last three years for which records are available. [154036]

Mr. Lammy

The following table indicates the number of family contractors, the number of family legal help matter starts allocated and started, and the cost of claims for those matters, in Wrexham over the last three years.

In addition to these contracts, the North Wales Family Mediation Service is based in Llandudno and has outposts in Wrexham and Bangor. The service undertakes a large amount of work from the Wrexham outpost, but the Legal Services Commission (LSC) is unable to quantify the breakdown of work undertaken geographically and how much of the money the LSC paid the service overall relates specifically to Wrexham. In 2002–03 the LSC paid the service a total of £58,562.59.