David Lock, MP for Wyre Forest since 1997, was appointed as an additional
Parliamentary Secretary to the Department on 29 July 1999. Jane Kennedy,
MP for Liverpool Wavertree since 1 May 1997, was appointed Parliamentary
Secretary to the Department on 11 October 1999. Ms Kennedy, who was previously
a Government Whip, replaced Keith Vaz MP who was promoted to Minister
of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Following these appointments, the Lord Chancellor reviewed the allocation
of Ministerial responsibility. The Lord Chancellor deals personally with
the work of Judicial Group; the resourcing of the Department and its programmes;
constitutional issues; and all appointments matters. Mr Lock is the lead
Minister for development of the Community Legal Service and has responsibility
for legal aid and legal services, civil justice, civil law development,
and international policy. Ms Kennedy has responsibility for criminal policy,
family policy, human rights, devolution, administrative justice, and immigration
and asylum policy.
Lord Bach, who was appointed a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) in
the July 1999 reshuffle, was assigned to the Department in October 1999
as the Government Whip (House of Lords).
The 1998/99 Appropriation in Aid target for the civil courts was missed,
with income of £321.8m against a target of £322.9m. Income in
1999/2000 is forecast to be £321.3m against a target of £337.5m.
The Department obtained an interim opinion from the National Audit Office
on the dry-run resource accounts for 1998-99 and is on course to prepare
fully audited resource accounts for 1999-2000 and dry-run resource based
Estimates for 2000-01.
Over 90 internal audit assignments were completed in 1999/2000. These
have resulted in improvements to systems and controls throughout the Department
designed to secure regularity, propriety, value for money and safeguarding
of assets and interests from losses.
Coverage planned for 2000/01 to 2002/03 is risk-assessed and provides
for targeted internal audits of a variety of activities and systems. This
involves evaluation of business, financial and accounting controls including
those exercised in relation to the collection of fines and fees by magistrates'
courts, procurement, resource accounting and contracted-out services.
In addition, internal audit will make an active contribution to the development
and implementation of new systems and initiatives by:
advising on control and related matters
exploiting potential for 'joined up' auditing e.g. criminal justice
system
contributing to maintenance of an effective anti-fraud culture,
and
assisting in the promotion of techniques associated with control
risk self-appraisal and risk management.
