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British Television Programmes
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what restrictions currently exist relating to the percentage of programmes made in Britain which must be shown by television and cable companies in the United Kingdom;
(2) what quotas currently exist for the use of British programming by (a) satellite, (b) cable and (c) terrestrial channels; (3) what is his Department's policy on the right to reply; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell: I write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Property
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what properties are owned or leased by his Department for the use of Ministers; what was the total running cost for each property for the latest year available broken down into (a) furniture and fittings, (b) maintenance, (c) staffing, including the number of butlers,
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cooks and housekeepers, (d) food and hospitality and (e) other costs; what is the estimated value of each property; and how many times in the latest year the property was stayed in overnight by a Minister.Mr. Sproat: My Department neither leases nor owns any property for the personal use of Ministers.
Arts Council
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to reverse the most recent reduction in the budget of the Arts Council; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
Spencer Stuart Consultants
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many contracts his Department or Government agencies responsible to his Department have entered into with Spencer Stuart consultants in the last two years.
Mr. Sproat: Neither my Department nor its agencies have entered into any contracts with Spencer Stuart consultants in the last two years.
Market Testing
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is his current calculation of the costs of preparation for market testing in his Department in terms of (a) payments to consultants and (b) other costs.
Mr. Sproat: My Department incurred consultancy costs of £481,866 between 1 April 1992 and 30 June 1994 in preparation for market testing. No other costs in respect of the programme were incurred over this period.
Wembley Stadium
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will take steps to ensure the ownership of Wembley stadium is kept in British hands.
Mr. Sproat: No. The future ownership of Wembley stadium is a matter for the current owners, Wembley plc, to determine.
Team Sports
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what co -ordination he has with other Government Departments in order to facilitate the teaching of team sports in schools.
Mr. Sproat: The Government are currently considering ways of enhancing the position of team sports in schools. An announcement will be made in due course. All interested Departments are contributing to the review.
Sports Council
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the current salary of the chairman and other officers of the Sports Council; and if they are on performance-related pay.
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Mr. Sproat: The salary of the chairman of the Sports Council is published annually in the Cabinet Office's publication "Public Bodies", and is currently £20,546. This is reviewed in line with the recommendations of the Senior Salaries Review Body, subject to satisfactory performance. It is not practice to publish the salaries of individual employees. Performance-related pay has however been introduced in line with the arrangements which apply in the civil service.
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects to announce that changes to the Sports Council have been implemented.
Mr. Sproat: As I announced to the House on 8 July, Official Report, columns 584-86, I expect the restructuring of the Sports Council to be achieved during the next financial year.
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what basis the Sports Council will continue to fund the English School Sports Association and its members.
Mr. Sproat: Within the broad policy framework which the Government set, it is for the Sports Council to determine its own policies and priorities for spending.
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the availability of non-vocational qualifications in sport; and if he will list those that will be available by 1 January 1995.
Mr. Sproat: Sport NVQs are currently available in playwork--levels 2, 3 and 4--sport and recreation--level 1--sport and recreation--facility operations--level 2, sport and recreation (development) (level 3), sport and recreation (outdoor education) (level 3), sport and recreation (supervision) (level 3), sport and recreation management (facilities) (level 4) and sport and recreation management (sports development) (level 4). In addition, coaching NVQs, which must be delivered through a specific sport, are currently being developed. It is likely that by 1 January 1995, coaching NVQs will be available in swimming, windsurfing, football, karate, basketball, fitness, hockey and lawn tennis.
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary for National Heritage which sports will be funded under the reorganised Sports Council.
Mr. Sproat: As I announced to the House on 8 July, Official Report , columns 584-86 , it will be for the new English Sports Council to decide on which sports to concentrate its resources.
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he last met the Sports Council; what was discussed at the meeting; and what conclusions were agreed.
Mr. Sproat: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for National Heritage, met members of the Sports Council on an informal basis on 12 September and discussed a range of issues with them. I met the council on 17 October to hear its views on our proposals for the future structure and focus of the new United Kingdom and English Sports councils.
European Football Championships
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what role he plans for the football supporters associations in the planning of the European football championship.
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Mr. Sproat: Responsibility for planning the 1996 European Football Championship rests with the tournament organisers, the Football Association. The FA, together with the Football league, the FA Premier league and the Football trust hold regular meetings with the football supporter organisations to discuss, amongst other things, the arrangements for the championship.
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on co-operation with the Football Association in the planning and running of the 1996 European Football Championship.
Mr. Sproat: The Department of National Heritage has worked closely with the Football Association from the start, both in securing the tournament for England, and on promotional and diplomatic matters. My officials are involved in the detailed arrangements for the championship through representation, with observer status, on the FA's central co- ordinating committee, and a separate FA working group on security and safety.
National Lottery
Ms Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects the start up costs for the National Lottery to be repaid.
Mr. Sproat: The national lottery distribution fund--NLDF--will receive its first payment from proceeds of the national lottery on Tuesday 22 November 1994. The setting up and administration costs of the Office of the National Lottery, and any administrative costs incurred by the distributing bodies in preparing to process applications for national lottery grants, including sums to be repaid to the Treasury in respect of set up costs already paid for from public funds, will be drawn down from the NLDF as required after that date.
The setting up costs of Camelot Group plc are a commercial operations matter. I have asked the director-general of the national lottery to write to the hon. Member on this point and to place copies of his response in the Library of the House.
Channel 5
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if any decision has been taken to make Channel 5 an analogue television service, and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 1 November 1994]: The basis on which the Channel 5 licence is being advertised was published on 1 November 1994 by the Independent Television Commission. It allows bidders to apply on the basis of analogue or digital transmission.
Hearing Disabilities
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has for (a) providing assistance for and (b) funding sport for people with a hearing disability.
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 1 November 1994]: The Great Britain Sports Council has offered the British Deaf Sports Council a grant for 1994 95 of £52,000, channelled through the British Sports Association for the Disabled. We have also emphasised the importance of people with disabilities being able to benefit from national lottery funds.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Public Appointments
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of public appointments were held by women at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office entry in the 1993 edition of "Public Bodies". The figures for the 1994 edition are still being collected and will be published in due course.
Cash and Running Costs Limit
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals there are to change the 1994 95 cash limit or running costs limit in respect of security and intelligence services.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon Friend the Prime Minister gave to the
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hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Mr. Streeter) on 1 November 1994, Official Report, column 1096-97.Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the list of (a) the chief executives of the next steps agencies together with their salaries and (b) the salaries of the civil servants who were responsible for similar functions prior to the establishment of those agencies.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
Quangos
Mr. Grocott: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which former hon. Members of this House have been appointed since 1988 by his Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations; and if he will list, in each case, the title of the post, the salary, the duration of the appointment, and the party which each represented as an hon. Member.
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Name |Post |Salary |Duration |Party
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The right Hon. the Lord Carlisle of Bucklow QC |Chairman, Advisory |None |1 November 1988 |Conservative
|Committee on |to 31 December
|Business |1994
|Appointments
|(ACOBA)
The right Hon. the Lord Thomson of Monifieth |Member of ACOBA |None for either |ACOBA: 1 |Labour
KT PC |and Political |November 1989 to
|Honours Scrutiny |31 October 1995
|Committee (PHSC) |PHSC: 9 November
|1992 for duration of
|current Government
The right hon. the Lord Cledwyn CH PC |Member of PHSC |None |9 November 1992 |Labour
|for duration of
|current Government
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Nolan Committee
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the estimated costs of the proposed new body to investigate standards in public life in respect of (a) premises, (b) hon. Members and (c) civil servants supporting it; and how many civil servants will be involved.
Mr. David Hunt: Arrangements for the setting up and operation of the standing committee on standards in public life are not yet completed.
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how and by whom the members of the proposed new body or standards in public life have been chosen; and how and why a particular judge was chosen as chairman.
Mr. David Hunt: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister appointed the chairman of the committee on standards in public life after consultation with the Lord Chancellor; he appointed the members of the committee following consultation with Lord Nolan, and with the leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Liberal Democratic party.
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn: To ask the Chancellor of the
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Duchy of Lancaster what remit the proposed body on standards in public life will have in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.Mr. David Hunt: Lord Nolan's Committee's remit extends to Scotland as elsewhere and it is free to set its own priorities within that remit.
Advisory Panel on Equal Opportunities
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what are the terms of reference for the new advisory panel on equal opportunities in the civil service;
(2) when he expects the report of the advisory panel on equal opportunities in the civil service to be completed.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The advisory panel's terms of reference are:
"to advise the Head of the Home Civil Service on steps to be taken to improve the representation in senior management positions of people of ethnic minority origin and people with disabilities, with particular reference to recruitment, career development, retention and other factors identified by the Panel as relevant; and to make recommendations".
The panel first met on Monday 12 September. It is expected to meet regularly over the next few months and
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plans to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to Sir Robin Butler by April 1995.Official Report
Mr. Forman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will arrange for the Official Report, to be distributed free to public libraries and sold to the public at the marginal cost after official demand has been met.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: Under long-standing arrangements aimed at facilitating public access to Government information, local authority libraries already qualify for a considerable discount on all HMSO publications, including the Official Report.
Market research on the prospects for increasing the distribution of the Official Report has recently been undertaken by MORI on behalf of HMSO. The findings are currently under consideration.
Charterline
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the final total cost to public funds of the Charterline, broken down into component costs; and what was the final total of calls it received.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
Spencer Stuart Consultants
Mr. Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many contracts his Department or Government agencies responsible to his Department have entered into with Spencer Stuart consultants in the last two years.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The Cabinet Office, its agencies, HMSO and COI have not entered into any contracts with Spencer Stuart consultants in the last two years.
Permanent Secretary's Handbook"
Mr. Gunnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will review the case for placing a copy of the "Permanent Secretary's Handbook" in the Members' Library and explain to the House the decision he reaches.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: No. The reply of 9 March, Official Report, column 256, given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave) remains valid.
Citizens Charter
Mrs. Ann Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will ensure that every departmental version of the citizens charter is available to the public from a central source in his office.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: Individual public service organisations are responsible for publishing and distributing their charters to uses of their services.
My Department runs a citizens charter publication line on 0345 223242 which sends out citizens charter publications, including copies of the guides to the citizens
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charter White Papers. It also sends out a list of departmental contact points from which copies of any of the 40 follow-up charters can be ordered:
Table 1: Published charters and how to obtain them.
|Telephone number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Contributors' Charter |091 225 7522
Social Security Contributions
Agency
Employers' Charter |091 225 7522
Social Security Contributions
Agency
Taxpayer's Charter |Please see Table II
H.M Customs and Excise
Taxpayer's Charter |Tax Offices, Tax Enquiry
Inland Revenue |Centres or phone:
|071 438 6420
Traveller's Charter |From Ports and Airports or
H.M. Customs and Excise |phone: 071 202 4227
Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales
Benefits Agency Customer |Please see Table II
Charter
Social Security Benefits Agency
Child Support Agency Charter |0345 133 133
Child Support Agency
Jobseeker's Charter |Please see Table II
Employment Service
Passenger's Charter |Please see Table II
British Rail
Redundancy Payments Service |0800 848 489
Charter
Employment Department
England and Wales
Courts Charter |Court Service Secretariat
Lord Chancellor's Department |071 210 1722
Home Office Crown
Prosecution Service
England Only
London Underground's |Customer Service Centre
Customer Charter: "the best |071 918 4040
possible service"
London Underground Ltd.
Charter for Further Education |Publications Centre
Department for Education
Charter for Higher Education |Publications Centre
Department for Environment |081 533 2000
Council Tenant's Charter |071 276 0900
Department of the Environment
Parent's Charter |Publications Centre
Department for Education |081 533 2000
Patient's Charter |Please see Table II
Department of Health
Road User's Charter |Please see Table II
The Highways Agency
The London Bus Passenger's |Passenger Services
Charter |071 918 4300
London Transport Buses
Scotland Only
Council Tenant's Charter for
Scotland
Scottish Office
Further and Higher Education |0345 741 741
Charter for Scotland
Scottish Office
Justice Charter for Scotland |0345 741 741
Scottish Office
Parent's Charter for Scotland |0345 741 741
Scottish Office
Patient's Charter for Scotland |0345 741 741
Scottish Office
Wales Only
Charter for Further Education |0222 825862
Welsh Office
Charter for Higher Education |0222 825829
Welsh Office
Council Tenant's Charter for |0222 825282
Wales
Welsh Office
Parent's Charter for Wales |0222 761456 Xt 5364
Welsh Office
Patient's Charter for Wales |0222 823219
Welsh Office
Northern Ireland Only
Bus Passenger's Charter |From all Ulsterbus offices or
Ulsterbus/Citybus |phone: 0232 354042
Child Support Agency Charter |0345 139 700 outside Belfast
Northern Ireland Child Support |(local rate) or 0232 896700
Agency |within Greater Belfast
Tenant's Charter for NI |0232 240588
Northern Ireland Housing
Executive
Courts Charter for Northern |0232 328594
Ireland
Northern Ireland Courts Service
The Citizen's Charter for |Full report from HMSO (£8.50).
Northern Ireland |For copy of summary Guide,
Department of Finance and |phone: 0800 243 174
Personnel
Parent's Charter |0247 270077 Xt 2366
Department of Education for NI
Charter for Patients and Clients |HPSS Management Executive
Department of Health and |0232 524282
Social Services, NI
Railway Passenger's Charter |Northern Ireland Railways
NI Railways |Headquarters 0232 235282
Royal Ulster Constabulary |From police stations, or phone
Charter |RUC Headquarters: 0232
Royal Ulster Constabulary |650222 Xt 22525
Social Security Agency Charter |Chief Executive's Office 0232
NI Social Security Agency |522826
Training and Employment |0232 244300
Agency Charter
Training and Employment
Agency
Table Part II
Taxpayer's Charter (Customs and Excise)
Available from your Local VAT Enquiry Office. Their addresses and telephone numbers can be found in the phonebook under "Customs and Excise".
Benefits Agency Customer Charter
Available from all District Offices of the Agency. Their addresses and telephone numbers can be found in the phonebook under "Benefits Agency".
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For bulk orders you can write to:DSS Distribution Centre
DSS Leaflets Unit
Manchester Road
Heywood
Lancashire OL10 2PZ (Quote CUST 1)
Jobseeker's Charter
Available from all local Jobcentres and Unemployment Benefit Offices. The addresses and telephone numbers of which can be found in the phonebook under "Employment Service".
Passenger's Charter
Available from all British Rail stations and outlets or by writing to:
British Railways
Euston House
24 Eversholt Street
PO Box 100
London NW1 1DZ
Patient's Charter
Copies of the Patient's Charter for England can be obtained by writing to (no stamp required):
The Patient's Charter
FREEPOST
London
SE99 7XU
Road User's Charter
Copies are available from most motorway service areas, AA shops and offices, the regional offices of the Department of Transport and the Highways Agency or from the Agency's Headquarters at the following address:
The Highways Agency
Room 12/33
St. Christopher House
Southwark Street
London
SE1 0TE
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