To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish the results of the monitoring conducted by his Department into the effects on waiting times of the last increase in the small-claims limit. [17456]

The last increase in the small claims limit was made on 6 January 1996 and, as the monitoring of waiting times was introduced that year, the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to increase the resources of the small claims court to ensure that the proposal to raise the small claims limit from April 1999 does not result in increased delays. [17408]

The proposed increase in the small claims limit must be considered along with the other civil justice reform proposals. Resources will be allocated to reflect changes in workload consequent upon implementation of the reforms as a whole.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give a breakdown of the length of time taken by small claims cases in county courts by type of case; and what assessment he has made of the factors underlying delays. [17455]

The table below shows the average length of time taken for small claims cases in 1996 from the issue of the summons to the hearing. It was previously published in "Judicial Statistics 1996" (CM 3716) in July 1997. These cases take a substantially shorter time than those which proceed to trial.