What progress is being made in the development of one-stop clinic services in Scotland. [56101]

We are making good progress towards modernising the national health service. About 80 one-stop clinics have so far been established throughout Scotland. That is an important step towards our aim of better and quicker treatment for everyone.

Can the Minister tell the House what steps are being taken to support one-stop clinics for my constituents in Paisley, South?

My hon. Friend's local hospital has made considerable progress. There are already one-stop clinics for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostatic assessment, early pregnancy and cardiology. Those clinics are well on their way to providing better and quicker treatment for all their patients.

What steps he is taking to encourage more Gaelic-speaking teachers to undertake training for work in Gaelic-medium units. [56102]

The Government are committed to Gaelic and plan to spend £5 million more on Gaelic education over five years, including £200,000 annually for in-service teacher training.

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive answer. My particular concern relates to primary school Gaelic units. I remember that Strathclyde region identified Gaelic-speaking teachers in its area and offered them retraining, but nothing much happened. I hope that the Minister will undertake to encourage education authorities to identify Gaelic speakers, retrain them through colleges or distance learning, and offer them development prospects.

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her generous invitation, which I should love to take up. I know that she has had a particular concern about Salen primary school on Mull, which lost its Gaelic teacher and then lost the supply teacher, who moved away rapidly. I understand that a teacher is now in place, so that difficulty should have been resolved.

I welcome my right hon. Friend to her position on the Scottish Front Bench and congratulate her on her rise in status to membership of the Privy Council. She will recall that I wrote to her recently about other modern languages, as well as Gaelic. Can she tell the House what plans she has in store for Scottish schools to advance the learning of other modern languages, which are so vital in the present European context?

I thank my hon. Friend for his generous comments. I am aware of the correspondence that he sent me in relation to the teaching of modern languages. He will know that a recent report by Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools revealed rather disturbing news about the teaching of modern languages in Scottish schools. As a result, I have asked officials to strengthen the guidelines for initial teacher training to include stronger encouragement for developing modern language skills. I am also setting up a languages action group to work with the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum to tackle a programme, including a review of the guidelines on modern languages for five to 14-year-olds, and to give advice on attainment targets for modern languages in primary and secondary schools. I will also ask the Scottish qualifications authority to review the standard grade arrangements for modern languages because, quite frankly, we cannot have a modern Scotland if the Scottish people are not proficient in modern European languages.

What steps he has taken to assist Scottish businesses in respect of the recent international financial crisis. [56103]

Although my hon. Friend is right to be concerned about the turbulence in the world economy, the latest monthly figures show that unemployment in Scotland continues to decline and employment to increase. The Government endeavour to help businesses by promoting a competitive, stable domestic economy. Scottish Enterprise is reviewing its economic development strategy at my request and, with my Department, is providing specific assistance to areas experiencing particular problems.

May I take this opportunity to thank everyone who wrote to me and sent get well cards— particularly you, Madam Speaker?

My hon. Friend's reappearance on the Bench, in fighting form, is very welcome. In Scottish terms, the House is a much quieter place when he is absent. I am delighted to see him back and boisterous.

I am sure that the Secretary of State will have heard many business people in Scotland express concern about the strength of the pound and the level of interest rates. Given that interest rates are significantly lower in countries that are about to become members of the single currency than in the United Kingdom, and given that tens of thousands of jobs in Scotland depend on manufacturing industries that export to European Union destinations, will the Government firm up their recent more positive sounds about economic and monetary union and establish a clear timetable for a referendum and British membership of the single currency?

It is always a pleasure to hear Liberal party policy, and it is good that the hon. and learned Gentleman pushes his line with such charm.

I am sure that my right hon. Friend is aware that a number of Scottish companies have suffered as a consequence of the international turbulence and, therefore, are not necessarily able to meet the regional selective assistance targets to which they were previously committed. Will my right hon. Friend and his colleagues continue to look sympathetically at those companies' requests that their problems be considered if the employment targets to which they were committed in more optimistic times are not met?

I would approach my hon. Friend's suggestion with a great deal of caution. RSA is very tightly controlled—and rightly so. Regional selective assistance is paid when jobs are delivered, and I want to hold to that principle. I repeat my message: firms that experience particular difficulties should not be slow in coming forward and approaching the Scottish Office and Scottish Enterprise, because they may be assisted in other ways. We naturally look sympathetically at cases in which, despite certain difficulties, the long-term viable job prospects seem to be good and realistic. I hold to the fact—there are examples that underline this point—that RSA needs to be tied to the targets that have been promised.

In the light of the continuing economic difficulties in the shorter term to which the Secretary has referred, does he recognise the folly of the real-term reductions in the budgets for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise? Does the right hon. Gentleman not consider that, in view of those difficulties, he should reverse the cuts and give himself more room for manoeuvre to invest in areas of Scotland that are suffering economic difficulties, such as the borders and the south-west?

I certainly recognise the folly of taking a simplistic line, as the hon. Gentleman has just done, on this matter. The hon. Gentleman is referring to the adjustments that we have made, particularly to the property portfolio of Scottish Enterprise. We wish to invest not in property but in people, skills and economic growth. Secondly, we have adjusted Scottish Enterprise's training budget because £70 million a year is coming in under the new deal and more is being spent on skills and training in Scotland than previously. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is aware of those facts. I hope that he will both accept them and rejoice, with me, in the fact that Scotland is leading the way in the new deal: there are 15,500 people already in the system; 2,600 are now in jobs; and 5,700 employers have already signed up. That shows that that part of the budget of Scottish Enterprise and the new deal, working together, are having considerable success.

Does my right hon. Friend agree that there are some success stories among businesses in Scotland? Will he join me in welcoming the additional 1,400 jobs that will be coming to the Fife area through BSkyB? Will he join me also in paying tribute to the management and work force of Solectron Scotland Ltd., which deals with the global manufacturing electronics industry? I visited its plant in Dunfermline yesterday, where it now employs nearly 1,300 people.

I am happy to endorse what my hon. Friend has said. It is important that we remember that, although there have been disappointments recently and some failures, we have been creating more jobs in Scotland than we have been losing. I hope that that situation will continue. Certainly every effort will be made to ensure that it does. In 1997–98, Locate in Scotland concluded 87 inward investment projects coming to Scotland, creating and safeguarding 18,000 jobs. I welcome the expansion in Dunfermline by BSkyB. I am well aware of the reputation and excellence of the work that is carried out by Solectron.

Does the Secretary of State expect unemployment in Scotland to fall or to rise between now and the establishment of the Scottish Parliament?

The hon. Gentleman, like me, will have to wait and see. Thanks to the determined line that is taken by the Government—for example, taking £20 billion out of the borrowing requirement and the way in which we have held down inflation—we are certainly very much better placed than many competing countries to ride out the turbulence that has resulted from the collapse of the far east economies and from events in Russia. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would want to pay tribute to that and join me in hoping that we can continue the excellent record to which I have referred.

The right hon. Gentleman's evasiveness is matched only by his willingness to blame other people. Let us go through what the Government are doing. With exporters facing continuing difficulties; with the failure of the new deal to attract sustainable jobs; with tax rises of the equivalent of 5p in the standard rate since the Government came to power; with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in an hour's time, about to downgrade his own growth forecast; with an increase in borrowing; with a tax raid on pensions; and with a soon-to-be-announced extra 23p per gallon on petrol, which will further damage confidence in the rural economy, does not the Secretary of State accept that the price of the Government's incompetence is bound to be paid for in lost jobs, and that the next get well card that he writes will be to the Scottish economy?

The hon. Gentleman should try to come into the real world. I am prepared to debate with him as long as his arguments are in any sense creditable. As a start, for his education, he should consider the previous Government's record and the problems that they experienced over a long period. I am confident that Scotland will ride out the troubles and that the fortunes of the Conservative party in Scotland will always be much worse than those of the Scottish economy.

If he will make a statement on progress towards implementing the new Higher Still exams. [56104]

The Government are committed to re-establishing Scotland as a world leader in education. As part of the agenda to raise standards in schools and levels of achievement, the Government are committed to the start of the Higher Still programme by August 1999. The Government recognise the professional concerns of teachers and we have responded vigorously to those concerns. Funds of more than £24 million have been committed to support classroom teachers, on top of the £20 million already invested centrally to ensure that the start of Higher Still is a success.

Given that the new access intermediate 1 and 2 courses will be phased in over three to five years, why has not the Minister taken the trouble to introduce the Higher Still exams over a phased period? Is not the truth that she would rather spend her time playing party politics for the Scottish Labour party?

Oh dear, Madam Speaker! I am glad that the people of Guildford are taking such an interest in Higher Still, but perhaps I can pass on some accurate information. The introduction of Higher Still is phased. It has been delayed twice. The hon. Member for Guildford (Mr. St. Aubyn) is shaking his head; I doubt whether he even knows what Higher Still is.

Does my hon. Friend share my amazement at the comments of the hon. Member for Guildford (Mr. St. Aubyn) about Higher Still? The problems with the higher levels of Scottish education were identified at the beginning of the 18 years of the previous Government. It is only now that a vigorous programme to modernise the curriculum is being introduced. Does my hon. Friend share my concern about how long it takes to introduce major changes in the Scottish curriculum? It has taken many years, and there is a danger that a long time may pass before changes are introduced to deal with a problem that has been identified.

My hon. Friend makes a valid point. The route to Higher Still began in 1992, which is why it is not acceptable to the Government further to delay its implementation. My hon. Friend is right also to draw attention to the lamentable performance of the previous Government, who for 18 years downgraded Scottish state education. This Government are determined to ensure that Scottish state education returns to its rightful place as a world leader. That is how we shall modernise Scotland and raise standards and achievement in Scottish schools.

In view of Scottish teachers' low morale and increased work load, will the Minister now repudiate the Daily Record headline which referred to Labour's war on teachers? Surely this negative attitude must be replaced by co-operation with the teaching profession, which understands the problem and offers the only means of delivering for Scottish education. The Minister's liaison group comes rather late in the day; such action should have been taken much earlier.

I greatly welcome the fact that the hon. Gentleman is taking such an interest in education; perhaps we shall soon hear some education policies from his party. The teaching profession has welcomed Higher Still, and I share the profession's commitment to it. My main priority is to raise the standards and levels of achievement of the children in Scotland's schools. That is the aim of all those who are properly concerned about Scottish education, unlike the hon. Gentleman's party which seems committed to the dumbing down of Scottish education.

What the Minister says is encouraging, in as far as it goes, since the Government have averted a possible conflict with the teachers' organisations. I hope that the Minister will continue to show some sensitivity towards the problems outlined by teachers, especially modern language teachers, who cannot understand why modern languages are not a core subject for Higher Still. As the Minister knows from other correspondence, many English teachers are very concerned about the content of the syllabus. Will she treat sympathetically those genuine concerns?

I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman that I will indeed take these matters on and treat them sympathetically. I know of his interest in them. I am anxious that the guidelines for modern language teaching should be improved. HMI's report has shown that, in many instances, teachers were unclear about what the guidelines recommended, which suggests that the guidelines themselves were not sufficiently clear. As for the introduction of Higher Still in English, I have taken on board some of the points made by teachers who had professional concerns, especially about assessment. We have therefore altered the arrangements for the assessment of English. I hope that Higher Still will be introduced in August 1999. Indeed, the Government are committed to that, and I look forward to Scottish education returning to its rightful place as a world leader.

What additional steps he proposes to assist employment creation in the south of Scotland. [56105]

If he will make a statement about the economic prospects for the borders. [56113]

I have just returned from a series of meetings in the borders and last week I undertook a similar visit to Dumfries and Galloway. I heard at first hand about the problems that are being encountered. My Department is working with local organisations to address those problems. A number of initiatives are in hand, including additional support for both local enterprise companies. To give another example, I was able yesterday to confirm approval and funding for the A7 traffic relief scheme at Hawick, which should offer important economic development benefits.

Further to that reply, does the Secretary of State agree that transport costs are a vital factor in job creation in the south and south-west? Will he undertake to urge the Chancellor to reverse his current policy of increasing road fuel duty by some 6 per cent. annually above the rate of inflation—a policy that will result in petrol costing £4.50 by the end of this Parliament and which will cost jobs in the south and the south-west? [Interruption.]

I understand the hon. Gentleman's point. I am interested to hear Conservative Members shouting that the hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The Conservative Government, for very understandable reasons, followed a policy of introducing real increases above the rate of inflation for many years. Their words either show an inability to remember the past, or else drip with hypocrisy.

Agriculture is in deep crisis in the borders, and currently, I understand from my relatives, about 1,700 jobs are at risk. Will the Government accept responsibility for the mismanagement of this sector, or continue to blame the rest of the world and the people of the borders?

On the hon. Lady's question about accepting responsibility for mismanagement, the answer is no. I hope that she is following the BSE inquiry with close attention, because she might find it instructive. I certainly accept that there are difficulties in the agricultural sector. Sadly, they affect almost every section of the industry at the moment, which is a particular problem.

Will my right hon. Friend reflect on the success of the task force established in Haddington in my constituency, following the loss of 510 jobs at the Mitsubishi factory seven months ago? The task force, which involved the Employment Service, the Benefits Agency, the local enterprise company, the Scottish Office and the local authority, succeeded in getting 450 out of 510 people into alternative employment or training places, and is still working on getting the remaining 60 people placed. Should we not be talking about positive achievements of that kind, rather than listening to Jeremiahs from Meriden or the Scottish National party?

I have not visited Meriden to count the number of Jeremiahs, but that may be an interesting expedition for the future. My hon. Friend is right to point to that success, following the great disappointment of the Mitsubishi closure in Haddington. It is perhaps a reminder that, when there is a Government with a bit of energy and initiative, a great deal can be done and that, despite what we often hear from Opposition Members, the economy is not in free fall. We have not plunged into deep recession and we are much better placed than many of our competitors to ride out these problems.

If he will make a statement on publicity for the elections to the Scottish Parliament in May 1999. [56106]

Next May's elections to the Scottish Parliament will be the first to be held in Scotland under the additional member system. We believe that the right to vote must also mean a right to understand, and we therefore intend to make sure that voters are properly informed about the change.

Some commentators have scurrilously suggested that the £2 million campaign which the Government propose is designed to shore up their flagging support in the forthcoming elections. Leaving that on one side, does the Minister not agree that that expenditure falls into roughly the same category as expenditure in Government information campaigns before referendums? If so, does he intend to be as dismissive of the Neill Committee in that area as he was last week? [Interruption.]

I am reminded from my Back Benches that we also read the polls. They would be instructive reading for the Conservatives, should they keep reading them, especially between now and the May elections in Scotland next year. There is something ironic and paradoxical about such an attitude coming from a party that will be sent a life line through the additional member system because it has not a hope of winning in a first-past-the-post contest in Scotland in the near future.

My hon. Friend will be familiar with the problems of elderly people who have to try to get to a polling station that is up a steep hill or about a mile from their home, even though they may have a school next door to them. Will he consider what influence he can bring to bear on the electoral registration people to ensure that that sort of nonsense is brought to an end, especially for the first elections to a Scottish Parliament?

I can reassure my hon. Friend that we are considering those issues. It is vital that there be no practical or physical impediments to people voting. We are concerned about older people, and we are also targeting younger people and those with special needs, so that they can use the ballot boxes in the polling stations to the best advantage. That is high on our agenda, and I reassure my hon. Friend that we are closely considering any possible improvements that we can make.

In the light of the Minister's answer to my hon. Friend the Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray), and his response and that of his colleagues to Lord Neill's report, does he understand the widespread scepticism about the Government spending millions of taxpayers' pounds on a mass information campaign? Will he give the House a categorical assurance that, before it is published, the Government will put the entire campaign before Lord Neill for him to review its neutrality?

We do not recognise such widespread scepticism, because there is none. That is Conservative Members' interpretation. They obviously do not visit Scotland or speak to Scots, because they are out of touch. The basic issue is that the public information exercise is about a new institution and a new method of voting. I urge the Conservatives and members of every other party to endorse the principles of a public information exercise. At the appropriate time, there can be discussions with Opposition parties. This exercise is in the interests of Scotland: it is not about the narrow political interests being pursued by the Conservative party.

Does the Minister recognise that there is substantial under-registration in many areas of Scotland? That is the legacy of the poll tax, for which the Conservatives are remembered. Will he enable as many people as possible to register by ensuring that local authorities are given a proactive role in chasing up people and giving them the opportunity to vote in the first election for a Parliament in Scotland?

I can tell my hon. Friend that that has already happened. We were keen to target older people, younger people and those with special difficulties. We have worked with local authorities on a registration campaign in Scotland. I am convinced that that will increase the number of people registered. That is highly appropriate, given the historic setting of the elections for the Scottish Parliament next year.

If he will make a statement on the beef industry in Scotland. [56107]

The Government appreciate the fact that beef producers are particularly exposed to the present difficulties in the farming industry. That is why we are providing record support to the farming industry, approximately half of which goes to the beef farmer. Scottish beef producers also benefit from the Government's financial support for specified risk material controls and for the cattle tracing system set-up.

Does the Minister agree that Scottish beef is now the safest in the world, and that there is no proven link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy and new version Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease? Does he further agree that there are no human health or animal health grounds to maintain the beef ban? The ban is flagrantly political, and a grotesque abuse of our trading arrangements with our European partners. Instead of coming up with such complacent answers, the Government should take the case of the Scottish farmers to the European Court.

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman has forgotten, but the beef ban was one of the legacies of the Conservative Government.

My hon. Friend will be aware that I recently carried out a survey of 400 restaurants and hotels in my constituency. It showed that 90 per cent. stock and are a source of Scottish beef, and 99 per cent. are very satisfied with the quality of Scottish beef. Does my hon. Friend agree that the imminent lifting of the European beef ban will provide a vital new niche in the market for Scottish farmers and their high-quality product?

Indeed, I am encouraged by the report of my hon. Friend's constituency survey. Although cattle prices have been lower everywhere in the past year, Scottish quality beef products are fetching a premium in the market. When the beef ban is lifted, the prospects for Scottish beef exports will be good.

Does the Minister share the optimism of the United Kingdom's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that the beef ban should be lifted by the turn of the year? The Minister was in the Chamber last week when the agriculture Minister said that he hoped, sooner rather than later, to announce what I think he described as a significant package of additional help for the hard-pressed agriculture sector. Will that be reflected in the Scottish Office vote, and in what the Scottish Office is able to give the Scottish agricultural community?

The hon. Gentleman will have to wait for future announcements. We are working flat out to lift the ban on beef exports; there has been considerable progress since the Government took office, and we are continuing to work on it. It should also be said that the Government are providing record support for the agriculture industry: £500 million a year is going into farming, and during the year we have increased that by £50 million

Given the drop in farm incomes and the apparently increasing gap between farm-gate and supermarket prices, will the Minister consider three fairly non-controversial steps? First, will he ensure that rigorous carcase checks are carried out for residues so that, now that our beef is the safest in the world, no consumer is put at risk by imported beef? Secondly, will he ensure, through labelling, that consumers see clearly how they can support the domestic industry? Finally, will the Government actively encourage supermarkets and caterers to procure home-produced food? Those three simple measures would go a long way to improve the environment for farmers.

As the hon. Gentleman will know, action has already been taken in regard to beef labelling and supermarkets. The gap between prices paid to farmers and prices paid by consumers has caused concern, but, as the hon. Gentleman will be aware, the Office of Fair Trading is preparing a report on the major supermarkets, which should be published before the end of the year.

If he will make a statement about the level of council house debt in Scotland. [56108]

As at 1 April 1998, council house debt in Scotland was estimated to be £3.9 billion.

Who is financing all that debt? Can it be that the taxpayers of the rest of the United Kingdom, including my constituents, are underwriting housing debt in Scotland?

The hon. Gentleman is wrong on both counts. In fact, council tenants service debt through their rents. If the hon. Gentleman wishes to attempt comparisons between England and Scotland, I can tell him that the average council house debt is pretty similar in both countries. The total council house debt in England is £20 billion.

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the forward-looking policy that the Government are about to introduce in order to bring about much-needed investment in Scottish council housing through the new housing partnership. Will he confirm that that falls very far short of privatisation? It is nothing to do with privatisation; it is about giving council housing back to tenants and local communities, so that they can invest the money that they need to make their houses better.

I can give my hon. Friend an absolute assurance to that effect. We are increasing investment in housing by 40 per cent. over the next three years from the level of investment that we inherited. The object of new housing partnerships is indeed to modernise Scottish housing stock, to lever in new investment on top of the public-sector investment and to provide real community control over housing, along with real powers for tenants, in their own neighbourhoods, over their own houses.

Can the Minister answer a simple question about the Government's approach to housing? If it is possible to offer, as a carrot or incentive, the writing off of debt for private partnership companies, why is it not possible to offer the writing off of debt to councils throughout Scotland?

There are two reasons for the transfer to community ownership. First, it will allow the new community landlords to lever new investment into housing, on top of the public-sector investment that is already being provided. Secondly, it will provide real powers for local communities and the tenants who live in them.

When he next expects to meet Scottish Screen to discuss the potential for film production and exhibition in Scotland. [56109]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has no present plans for a formal meeting with Scottish Screen. I met the chairman of Scottish Screen, James Lee, on 2 June and again on 2 September.

Does my hon. Friend recall the film review that I co-chaired, which published in March "A Bigger Picture", focusing on the absolute need for more investment in film production, especially in Scotland? Does he have a view on the three projects that are being proposed for major film studios in Scotland? Will he bring together the various agencies as well as Scottish Screen to ensure that, in the interests of Scottish culture and, indeed, of our economy, films about Scottish subjects are produced in Scotland?

I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend's expertise in this subject and, in particular, to his report, "A Bigger Picture", which has given considerable guidance and great vision to the film industry throughout the United Kingdom. I welcome moves towards its location in Scotland. It is for Scottish Screen to consider the options for funding and location in the light of what is in the best interests of the whole of Scotland when developing the film industry in our country.

For what reasons legal aid debts are being exempted from legislation on the late payment of debts. [56131]

The money that is paid by the Legal Aid Board to lawyers is currently outside the scope of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 because the amount of legal aid payments is decided by Parliament through regulations. Claims for payment have to be taxed by a court or assessed by the board before they can be paid. Therefore, there is no direct contractual relationship on which the late payment legislation could operate.

That answer just will not wash. The Law Society has made representations to the Government saying that they are guilty of sleight of hand in relation to this. If Law Society payments were to be exempted, they could have been exempted in the main legislation. Masses of small firms of solicitors throughout the country were waiting for the Lord Chancellor's Department to pay debts outstanding for more than six months. They were looking forward to the legislation. At the last minute, they have been excluded from the rights under it. If a debt is incurred for the Lord Chancellor's wallpaper, that will carry interest, but a debt for a core legal service that is provided to the Lord Chancellor's Department does not.

The hon. Gentleman has this wrong. Provision of legal aid does not currently come within the legislation simply because there is no direct contractual relationship. There will be a direct contractual relationship if the Government carry through, with Parliament's approval, plans for reforming legal aid to establish contracts. In those circumstances, there will be a contract against which late-payment legislation can bite.

What assistance is given by his Department to persons who cannot afford to pay the prescribed fees for the issue of public records. [56132]

There are no prescribed fees for the issue of public records; the records are made available free of charge at the Public Record Office. The only fees that are payable regarding public records are those prescribed by the Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations 1998 for the provision of copies of records and for other services that are offered by the Public Record Office.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. I refer him to birth certificates. Clearly, most people need to buy a full certificate at some time during their life and some people have difficulty in affording even the modest fee for such certificates. Therefore, I urge my hon. Friend to consider some formal scheme for exemption from such fees. Looking to the nearer future, will he think about using the internet more to make copies of documents available, where they will be directly accessible to more and more people?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his suggestion. The Public Record Office is microfilming an increasing proportion of its most popular records. That will enable visitors to print out copies at a reduced cost and non-visitors will benefit from lower charges for prints from film. Increasingly records are available electronically in schools, libraries and in people's homes via the internet. I hope that that development will continue.

If he will list those insurance companies selling insurance products to underpin conditional fee agreements. [56133]

Insurance products to underpin conditional fee agreements have been available since July 1995 when conditional fee agreements first became lawful. The number and range of insurance products are increasing with new products becoming available all the time. I am aware of at least eight providers of insurance to underpin conditional fees. I am aware of at least two other products that are likely to be brought on to the market over the coming months.

The insurance industry will currently underwrite only personal injury cases for conditional fee agreements. What does the Minister intend to do about the public who take any other case to court?

A wide variety of insurance products are available. There are insurance products available to cover any sort of risk, but the premiums to cover significant risk are available at a significant cost. Obviously, as the market develops, we will see a lowering of the cost of those premiums.

I congratulate the Minister on his promotion in the last Government reshuffle and I offer him my commiserations on his inability to extract himself from the grip of the Lord Chancellor.

We have made it clear that legal aid will not be withdrawn from anyone in our society unless and until there are effective alternatives and effective access to justice. The extension and development of conditional fees will allow that to take place in due course, but we have made it clear that we want to see an extension of legal expenses insurance. We believe that that is appropriate for the great majority of people. Equally, we have made it clear that no one will lose out unless and until there is effective access to justice for them.

How much spare capacity exists in magistrates courts in the Greater London area and nearby; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which this could be used to help to tackle the backlog of immigration and asylum appeals. [56134]

It is important to emphasise that magistrates courts are locally managed services. Each of the 22 magistrates courts committees in the Greater London area is primarily responsible for the use of the courtroom accommodation in their individual area. However, we are currently examining ways of using spare capacity in the magistrates courts to assist in bail hearings in detention cases. I should emphasise that the key restraint in reducing further the backlog of immigration and asylum appeals is not accommodation, but the shortage of adjudicators, which we are tackling vigorously.

As my hon. Friend is aware, I have asked this question because the suggestion was in the recent review of immigration appeals paper. I am concerned to find out what progress has been made in dealing with the large backlog which means that these cases are delayed.

The Government have put a great deal of effort into reducing the backlog of appeals. I can assist my hon. Friend by setting out the relevant statistics. In July 1997, the figure for outstanding appeals by adjudicators was 34,907 and by September 1998 that had been reduced to 22,298. We anticipate that by the end of March 1999, that figure will have been reduced again to some 16,000 cases.

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, such is the backlog of immigration matters, for all sorts of different and understandable reasons, the law is being brought into disrepute? Will he examine the method used in Holland for dealing with illegal immigrants where adjudicators are on the spot the whole time so that cases can be dealt with immediately and do not block up the magistrates courts?

I do not accept that the law has been brought into disrepute. However, the appeals process is currently under review and I would welcome the hon. Gentleman's suggestions for other ways in which these matters may be resolved more effectively and, certainly, more speedily.

I welcome the Minister's actions so far in dealing with the backlog. However, does he accept that one way of dealing with the backlog—which clearly causes enormous distress to applicants—is to appoint more adjudicators? What action is he taking to ensure that more adjudicators are appointed to deal with the ever-increasing number of cases?

The Government have appointed new adjudicators since our election in May 1997. There are currently 34 full-time adjudicators and 212 part-time adjudicators. A recent recruitment board for full-time appointments is expected to result in the appointment of at least eight new adjudicators. A board for part-time appointments is due to commence shortly, to which 77 candidates have been called to interview. We shall continue to increase the number of adjudicators with a view to reducing the backlog.

When he last discussed his legal aid reforms with the Lord Chief Justice and the other heads of divisions of the High Court. [56135]

The Lord Chancellor and I meet the Lord Chief Justice and other senior judges regularly. We discuss many areas of mutual interest, including legal aid.

In the light of the Lord Chief Justice Bingham's remarks that any legal aid reform should be proceeded with cautiously and slowly, is it wise of the Government to rush ahead with their reforms, which many experts believe are ill thought out and will make the situation worse?

It is not for me to comment on what the Lord Chief Justice thinks of the Government's proposals. However, I note that Lord Bingham, at his recent press conference, expressed support for our plans to refocus legal aid and to extend availability of conditional fees. I certainly welcome that endorsement.

I am happy to congratulate the Minister on his recent promotion. Last night, the Lord Chancellor made a speech on the proposed community legal service. What legal services will the community legal service be providing, first, for those who now qualify for legal aid, and, secondly, for middle-income Britain?

Yesterday, the Lord Chancellor outlined our plans to establish a community legal service, which will improve access to justice by refocusing the traditional legal aid scheme and provide more help, and more effective help, to the most vulnerable people in our society, particularly in relation to social welfare law and employment, housing, debt and benefit advice.

I hope that those legal aid developments and reforms will be of positive assistance to the witnesses who hope to give evidence to the Bloody Sunday inquiry, which is chaired by Lord Saville. Many of the witnesses, both in England and in Northern Ireland, are on low incomes. They need and deserve such assistance.

I am grateful for my hon. Friend's suggestion, and shall ensure that whichever member of the Government is responsible for the matter is made aware of his observations

What criteria are used to determine whether a magistrates court should close. [56136]

There are no statutory criteria. Magistrates courts are locally managed by magistrates courts committees under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997. It is for individual MCCs to identify their own criteria when deciding their own accommodation needs, after consultation with the local paying authority. My Department has no role other than to determine any appeals arising from a local dispute.

Does the Minister agree that magistrates courts committees are quangos, and that they are strangled by the amount of money that is provided by the Lord Chancellor's Department? Does he agree also that the vast majority of cases dealt with by magistrates courts committees could be dealt with locally, and that there is a hidden plan to close magistrates courts across the country—as hon. Members on both sides of the House know?

I assure the hon. Gentleman that there is no hidden plan. I was also slightly surprised at the tone of his question, which effectively challenged the importance of local decision making. I should remind him that

"far too much power has been concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall",

"democratic government should be close to ordinary people".

Rubbish.

The hon. Gentleman says that, but those words should sound vaguely familiar to him, as they are from the Liberal Democrats' manifesto, on which he was elected in May 1997.

Surely one of the problems with magistrates courts is that sufficient numbers of cases are not being referred to them. Is there nothing that the Government can do to ensure that matters such as juvenile crime are dealt with more in magistrates courts, and that we shorten the time that it continues to take between charging and an appearance before a magistrate?

As the hon. Gentleman will know, one of the Government's basic promises to the electorate was to speed up youth justice. We are doing that, the work is under way and we are seeing the results up and down the country.

If he will make a statement on progress in the implementation of the Civil Justice Review. [56137]

Our plans for introducing the first phase of civil justice reforms on 26 April 1999 are on target. The new rules will be finalised by the Civil Procedure Rules Committee this month. After approval by the Lord Chancellor they will be laid before Parliament in December. We plan to publish them with supporting practice directions and key forms in January 1999.

Does my hon. Friend agree with my view—from experience of 20 years in practice—that the reforms will necessitate quite substantial retraining and re-education for practitioners and some re-tooling in terms of new technology? What assistance will his Department give practitioners to meet the deadline for the introduction of the new rules?

The latest draft rules have been available on the Department's website and in hard copy form since July, so practitioners have had a great deal of time to prepare themselves. There is no reason why the reforms should not go ahead as planned in April. Indeed, any delay would cause uncertainty to the practitioners about whom my hon. Friend is concerned.