(a) The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) recently undertook a tender exercise for new Mental Health Contracts to start on 1 August 2014. Applicants were invited to bid for a volume of new matter starts within one of three lot sizes for each Procurement Area in which they wished to deliver work. Applicants meeting the tender criteria were guaranteed a certain volume of new matter starts as follows:

In the event that there were additional new matter starts left over against advertised volumes once guaranteed volumes had been allocated, applicants would be awarded additional matter starts up to the volume bid for until the volume of advertised matters starts were awarded. Those bidding for a higher number of new matter starts (i.e. in Lots 2 and 3) were required to meet additional criteria.

(b) There are provisions within the Mental Health contract to award up to an additional 50% supplementary new matter starts if demand increases during the life of the contract. Those awarded a contract in Lot 1 will be able to self-grant an additional 50% of matter starts. Providers who have been awarded a higher volume of work (i.e. in Lots 2 and 3) will be able to apply to their LAA Contract Manager for an additional 50% new matter starts and these requests will be considered on a case by case basis in accordance with the contract provisions.

Shailesh Vara:

The LAA contract periods do not necessarily correspond to financial years, figures have therefore been provided by contract schedule period rather than financial year. Existing Mental Health Contracts (which began in April 2010) were awarded in the areas asked about using the North West as the procurement area. We have therefore only been able to provide data on the smaller areas requested based on the location of the provider but this was not the basis on which services were procured. Figures exclude any new matter starts allocated to providers that have subsequently withdrawn from their contract or from the mental health category.

The LAA has recently undertaken a procurement exercise for new Mental Health contracts and new contracts are due to start on 1 August 2014. Allocations for matter starts for 2014/15 are therefore split over two separate periods: April 2014 to August 2014 under the existing contract and from August 2014 to April 2015 under the new contract.

In respect of the new contract, matter starts were advertised and awarded using wider procurement areas so we are only able to provide data on the North Procurement Area, which encompasses the requested geographic areas. The total number of matter starts initially awarded through the tender process in the North for the period between 1 August 2014 and 31 March 2015 was 9,121. This is a provisional figure only as successful organisations are still in the process of verifying their tenders prior to contracts being issued.

Mental Health New Matter Starts allocated to Providers located in the North West for the period April 2010 to July 2014 are as follows:

No provider offices were located in the constituency of Blackpool North and Cleveleys for the period April 2010 to July 2014. However, the majority of Mental Health services are delivered to detained clients and therefore not from provider offices. The LAA's Mental Health contracts enable providers to deliver services to clients across the procurement area as a whole (North West presently and North as of 1 August 2014).

Shailesh Vara:

The LAA contract periods do not necessarily correspond to financial years, figures have therefore been provided by contract schedule period rather than financial year. Existing Mental Health Contracts (which began in April 2010) were awarded in the areas asked about using the North West as the procurement area. We have therefore only been able to provide data on the smaller areas requested based on the location of the provider but this was not the basis on which services were procured. Figures exclude any new matter starts allocated to providers that have subsequently withdrawn from their contract or from the mental health category.

The LAA has recently undertaken a procurement exercise for new Mental Health contracts and new contracts are due to start on 1 August 2014. Allocations for matter starts for 2014/15 are therefore split over two separate periods: April 2014 to August 2014 under the existing contract and from August 2014 to April 2015 under the new contract.

In respect of the new contract, matter starts were advertised and awarded using wider procurement areas so we are only able to provide data on the North Procurement Area, which encompasses the requested geographic areas. The total number of matter starts initially awarded through the tender process in the North for the period between 1 August 2014 and 31 March 2015 was 9,121. This is a provisional figure only as successful organisations are still in the process of verifying their tenders prior to contracts being issued.

Mental Health New Matter Starts allocated to Providers located in the North West for the period April 2010 to July 2014 are as follows:

No provider offices were located in the constituency of Blackpool North and Cleveleys for the period April 2010 to July 2014. However, the majority of Mental Health services are delivered to detained clients and therefore not from provider offices. The LAA's Mental Health contracts enable providers to deliver services to clients across the procurement area as a whole (North West presently and North as of 1 August 2014).

Shailesh Vara:

The LAA contract periods do not necessarily correspond to financial years, figures have therefore been provided by contract schedule period rather than financial year. Existing Mental Health Contracts (which began in April 2010) were awarded in the areas asked about using the North West as the procurement area. We have therefore only been able to provide data on the smaller areas requested based on the location of the provider but this was not the basis on which services were procured. Figures exclude any new matter starts allocated to providers that have subsequently withdrawn from their contract or from the mental health category.

The LAA has recently undertaken a procurement exercise for new Mental Health contracts and new contracts are due to start on 1 August 2014. Allocations for matter starts for 2014/15 are therefore split over two separate periods: April 2014 to August 2014 under the existing contract and from August 2014 to April 2015 under the new contract.

In respect of the new contract, matter starts were advertised and awarded using wider procurement areas so we are only able to provide data on the North Procurement Area, which encompasses the requested geographic areas. The total number of matter starts initially awarded through the tender process in the North for the period between 1 August 2014 and 31 March 2015 was 9,121. This is a provisional figure only as successful organisations are still in the process of verifying their tenders prior to contracts being issued.

Mental Health New Matter Starts allocated to Providers located in the North West for the period April 2010 to July 2014 are as follows:

No provider offices were located in the constituency of Blackpool North and Cleveleys for the period April 2010 to July 2014. However, the majority of Mental Health services are delivered to detained clients and therefore not from provider offices. The LAA's Mental Health contracts enable providers to deliver services to clients across the procurement area as a whole (North West presently and North as of 1 August 2014).