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Mr. Dorrell: I am aware of public concern about the portrayal of sexual conduct in television programmes and keep this matter under careful review, in consultation with the chairman of the regulatory bodies. Babylon Blue, which has been licensed by the Independent Television Commission, has yet to begin broadcasting. If and when it does, it will be expected fully to comply with ITC's programme code and the conditions of its licence. The ITC has powers to ensure that it does. I have received no request from the ITC for any strengthening of its regulatory powers over adult channels.
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are the maximum penalties available (a) to the Independent Television Commission and (b) to his
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Department where (i) satellite and (ii) terrestrial television have broken the terms of their licence or ITC codes.Mr. Dorrell: Under the terms of the Broadcasting Act 1990, the Independent Television Commission has sole responsibility for regulating the licence conditions of terrestrial and satellite commercial television services, which include a requirement to observe the ITC's codes. The commission has a range of sanctions it can impose for non-compliance with the terms of its licences. The maximum penalty that the ITC can impose on Channels 3 and 5 licensees and on satellite services is revocation of the licence. On Channel 4, the maximum penalty the commission can impose is a fine not exceeding 3 per cent. of the channel's annual qualifying revenue for the first occasion and 5 per cent. thereafter.
Jazz
Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps his Department will take to increase funding for jazz.
Mr. Dorrell: Central Government support for the arts is channelled through the arts councils and, in England, the 10 regional arts boards. It is for these bodies to determine the balance of funding as between the various art forms and individual arts organisations. I understand, however, that the Arts Council is close to completing a major review of support for jazz in this country.
National Lottery
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when the first grants to the arts will be available from the national lottery funds.
Mr. Dorrell: The arts councils in the United Kingdom are considering applications for lottery funds and the first grants are expected to be announced in spring 1995.
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how Her Majesty's Treasury is investing the funds raised for good causes by the national lottery in the period prior to the first allocation of grants by the lottery distribution bodies.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 2 February 1995]: Under the terms of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 responsibility for investing the proceeds of the national lottery falls to the national debt office, which is a non-ministerial department separate from the Treasury. The investment powers issued by the Treasury allow the national lottery distribution fund to be invested in a range of secure financial instruments described in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 5, 5A, 5B, 9 and 9A of part II of schedule 1 to the Trustee Investments Act 1961.
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the severance payments made to special advisers in each of the last five years indicating (a) the amount and (b) the date.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 1 February 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Treasury on 6 February 1995, Official Report, column 69 .
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Unusual Industries
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what will be (a) the fee and (b) the expected expenses paid to the firm Unusual Industries in respect of its organisation of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end in Europe of the second world war.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 2 February 1995]: For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it is not our practice to divulge the level of payments made to contractors.
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what will be the expected level of costs borne by his Department's administration vote, class XI, vote 7, in respect of officials' support of the firm, Unusual Industries, in its organisation of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end in Europe of the second world war.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 2 February 1995]: No costs will be borne on the Department's administration vote, class XI, vote 7, in respect of officials' support of Messrs. Unusual Industries in the provision of the programme of commemorative events. The costs to vote of officials' engaged on monitoring the performance of the contract and approving payments to Messrs. Unusual Industries is likely to be some £60,000. There are also likely to be additional small costs relating to the work of other personnel involved on an occasional basis.
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage by what process the firm Unusual Industries was chosen to organise the programme of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end in Europe of the second world war.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 2 February 1995]: Messrs. Unusual Industries was selected to provide the services in question by a process of competitive tendering.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the annual actual administrative expenditure for his Department for each year of its operation, in 1994 prices; and if he will provide a breakdown for each year to show the annual expenditure
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on the Royal Commission on historic monuments of England.Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 6 February 1995]: The Department of National Heritage was created in April 1992 when certain areas of responsibility from six other Departments were transferred. The central administration costs for each year of its operation are as follows with figures in 1994 prices shown in brackets:
£ thousand
|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total DNH administrative |9,898 |22,710 |20,161
expenditure |(10,404)|(23,164)|-
Annual expenditure by the Royal Commission on the historical monuments of England, which is accounted for on a separate vote, is as follows:
|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
------------------------------------------------------------
RCHME gross expenditure |12,251 |14,967 |13,877
|(12,878)|(15,266)|-
Notes:
1 Figures for DNH administrative expenditure exclude the
Royal Fine Art Commission and the Millennium Commission.
The figures for 1992 93 do not reflect full DNH expenditure cost since some part-year central service costs from former Departments were met by those Departments.
Figures for 1992 93 and 1993 94 include some one-off cost that relate to the setting up of the Department.
Figures for 1994 95 represent the current level of provision before adjustments for the spring supplementary. Figures for actual outturn will not be available until the end of the financial year.
Arts Grants, Wales
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 619 , if he will give the level of the grants from the Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts in Wales given to each of the organsations listed and the dates on which the applications were (a) made and (b) approved.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 3 February 1995]: The information requested is in the table:
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|Award |Date received
Organisation |£ |by ABSA |Date approved
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Theatre Bara |4,000 |9 November 1990 |4 December 1990
Caws |7,200 |20 January 1992 |31 January 1992
Y Faner |5,000 |23 November 1990 |4 December 1990
|10,000 |21 October 1991 |18 December 1991
Dalier Sylw |4,000 |21 December 1990 |10 January 1991
|5,000 |16 August 1991 |3 September 1991
Ewrosgol |2,500 |7 February 1991 |21 February 1991
Creu Cof |2,500 |16 February 1991 |7 March 1991
Cwmni Dawns Camre Cain |4,000 |7 July 1991 |24 July 1991
Welsh International Film Festival |3,000 |16 August 1991 |3 September 1991
|3,000 |16 September 1991|9 October 1991
|4,000 |18 September 1992|7 October 1992
|5,000 |24 September 1993|30 September 1993
Wales Actors Company |4,750 |8 May 1992 |4 June 1992
Arad Goch |4,000 |29 November 1990 |19 December 1990
|2,000 |16 July 1993 |28 September 1993
Hwyl a |7,500 |23 November 1990 |4 December 1990
Fflag |8,000 |27 September 1991|9 October 1991
National Film and Video Archive of Wales |6,500 |7 December 1990 |19 December 1990
Clwyd Arts and Exhibition Service |3,000 |22 January 1991 |31 January 1991
Taliesin Trust |2,500 |7 February 1991 |7 March 1991
Theatr Gorllewin Morgannwg |7,500 |8 July 1991 |24 July 1991
Barddas: Y Gymdeithas Gerdd Dafod |2,000 |22 July 1991 |9 October 1991
Theatr Had |2,000 |6 July 1992 |22 July 1992
Model House Llantrisant |1,500 |17 August 1992 |3 September 1992
Rhiniog |1,500 |27 September 1993|19 October 1993
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Rules and Regulations
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the rules and regulations in his Department which have been withdrawn in the last 12 months, or which his Department plans to withdraw in the next 12 months; and what impact this will have on his Department's manpower.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 6 February 1995]: My Department has not withdrawn any rules and regulations in the last 12 months. The Department is continuing to identify rules and regulations for withdrawal. Those for withdrawal in the next 12 months will be announced as and when consultations are completed.
The manpower implications are taken into account in the Department's central manpower plans, which will be published in the Department's annual report.
Second World War (Anniversary)
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the level of consultancy payments expected to be made to the programme project manager for the organisation of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end in Europe of the second world war.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 2 February 1995]: For reasons of commercial confidentiality, it is not our practice to divulge the level of payments made to consultants.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Next Steps Agencies
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies in his Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.
Sir John Wheeler: The administration of the next steps agencies is a matter for the chief executive of each agency. I have asked the chief executives to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Pat Devlin to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated
24 January 1995:
Setting up of Next Steps Agencies
I have been asked to reply, in respect of the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency, to your Parliamentary Question.
The Agency has leased its Headquarters building at an annual rent of £196,000.
We do not publish periodical journals and we do not have executive cars or corporate clothing.
The Agency has a specially designed logo which cost £4,750 and specially designed printed stationery which cost £2,280.03.
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This is a new Agency and posts did not exist prior to it being set up. At 3 January 1995 there were 1,025 Whole Time Equivalent Staff-in-Post for the entire Northern Ireland Agency, of whom 785 are engaged in delivering child support services to the GB Child Support Agency under a Provision of Service AgreementLetter from D. A. Stanley to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 25 January 1995 :
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply, on behalf of the Compensation Agency, to your recent Question about Next Steps agencies.
The Compensation Agency remains in the accommodation occupied by the predecessor division. No additional support staff have been required. The Agency does not publish periodical journals nor does it have any executive cars. Approximately £5,000 was spent on developing a logo and on average an additional £4,000 per year is spent on specially designed corporate stationery. The Agency does not have corporate clothing.
Letter from Brendan Magee to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 25 January 1995:
I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the costs associated with the setting up of this Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland.
We have not acquired our own Headquarters building, have not required any additional support staff, have no executive cars and have no corporate clothing.
We publish an Annual Report and a Business/Corporate plan at an annual cost of approximately £2,500. An Agency logo was designed through an in- house competition at a cost of £150 and we use our own headed stationery which costs no more than the Branch stationery which it replaced.
I hope you will find this information helpful.
Letter from L. H. Ferguson to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 25 January 1995:
In the absence of Mr. Watson, who is on leave, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the costs associated with the set up of the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency. The Agency has not acquired its own Headquarters building, has required two additional support staff and has no executive cars. We publish an Annual Report and Business Plan at a total annual cost of £39,000. We have a specially designed logo at a cost of £1, 000 with annual corporate clothing at £1,900 more, and specially designed stationery at £2,000 more, than the pre-Agency costs. I hope you will find this information helpful
Letter from M. J. D. Brand to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 25 January 1995:
I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the costs associated with the set up of the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland as a Next Steps Agency.
Ordnance Survey has not acquired its own Headquarters building, does not have any executive cars and has no corporate clothing for its staff.
Three additional support staff have been required for accounts work since we became an Agency and an Annual Report and Business Plan are published each year at a cost of £7,600.
We continue to use a logo which was introduced long before we became an Agency and which appears on our stationery.
I hope you will find this information helpful.
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Letter from D. W. Gallagher to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 6 January 1995:I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the costs associated with the set up of the Rate Collection Agency.
The Rate Collection Agency has not acquired its own Headquarters building, has not required additional support staff and has no executive cars.
An Annual Report and internal magazine are published each year at a cost of £4,700. Corporate clothing (ties and scarves) were ordered for the Agency launch in April 1991 at a cost of £2,705. Finally an Agency logo was designed through an in-house competition at a cost of £100. However corporate stationery costs remain broadly similar to pre-Agency levels.
I hope you will find this information helpful.
Letter from Alex Wylie to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated
23 January 1995:
I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the costs associated with the set up of the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency.
The Social Security Agency did not acquire a Headquarters building when it was established, but made use of existing accommodation at Castle Buildings, Stormont. We do not publish periodical journals, we do not have any executive cars, nor do Agency staff have corporate clothing.
We do have an Agency logo and were advised by consultants on the design of Agency stationery. I regret that we are unable to give the separate costs of these. However, the total cost of the development of the logo, letterheads for Agency stationery, signage for the Agency's offices and a corporate identity manual cost a total of £13, 397.17 including VAT.
Finally, 30 additional staff were needed in the Agency for work arising mainly in the areas of Finance, Planning, Personnel and Parliamentary Business which had been transferred from the Department.
I hope you will find this information helpful.
Letter from J. S. Crozier to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 25 January 1995:
You have asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a number of questions about Next Steps Agencies. The Secretary of State has asked me as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency to reply on behalf of that Agency.
The Agency has established its headquarters in Clarendon House, Belfast. This building was already a wholly owned part of the Government estate.
The Agency brought together in a single organisation the training and employment functions of the Department of Economic Development and a number of responsibilities previously held by the Northern Ireland Training Authority along with some of those of a number of Industrial Training Boards. Overall staffing in the Agency has reduced from 1,660 at the time of its launch in April 1990 (which was the number of staff fulfilling those functions of the Department for which the Agency was given responsibility) to 1,300 at present. Two Periodical Journals are published by the Agency at an annual cost of £28,000.
A single executive car was purchased in 1992 at a cost of £13, 500. Repairs and running costs, including petrol for the current financial year are around £1,800.
The Agency does not provide corporate clothing for its staff. When the Agency was established the design of a corporate identity including a logo was commissioned. The overall costs of this work was £11,000. Costs of Corporate Stationery incorporating the Agency's logo are no more than was the cost of producing the Department's stationery which incorporated its own house style. The annual cost of printing stationery is just over £11,000.
I trust that you will find this information helpful.
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Letter from D. J. Bell to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 13 January 1995:Valuation and Lands Agency
Sir John Wheeler has asked that I write to you in my capacity as Commissioner and Chief Executive of the Valuation and Lands Agency to give the information requested by you from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 19 January 1995.
The period since Agentisation has been a most challenging one as the organisation sought to accommodate the necessary cultural change brought about by Agency status and strove to achieve the demanding targets set for it in a climate of considerable financial constraint across the public sector as a whole.
I am confident that the Agency will continue to demonstrate improved performance flowing from the tighter targeting and resource control put in place under Next Steps.
The following is the specific information which you requested:- (i) The Agency does not own its headquarters building--this was occupied by the Valuation and Lands Office before its agentisation--but shows an assessed notional annual rental value in its Accounts (£275,000 1993 94);
(ii) no additional support staff have been acquired since agentisation;
(iii) the approximate annual cost of publishing periodic journals is £13,700;
(iv) the Agency does not have any executive cars;
(v) the one-off cost of the Agency logo was £6,243;
(vi) the Agency does not have corporate clothing; and
(vii) the cost of specifically designed and printed corporate stationery since agentisation is £5,870.
I trust this information is sufficient for your purposes, however if I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Constituency Boundaries
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the occasions on which Northern Ireland constituency boundaries were discussed (a) in the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental conference and (b) in the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental secretariat.
Sir Patrick Mayhew: The provisional recommendations on electoral boundaries published by the Northern Ireland Parliamentary Boundary Commission in January 1994 were raised by the Irish side at the Anglo-Irish intergovernmental conference held on 28 January 1994. As the joint communique issued after that conference recorded, the British side said that the commission is a body responsible to Parliament, not to Government, and described the statutory procedures for interested parties to make representations with respect to the commission's proposed recommendations.
Northern Ireland Boundary Commission
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will list the dates on which officials met or telephone members or officials of the Northern Ireland Boundary Commission; (2) when the officials of the political affairs division first became aware of what became the revised recommendations of the Northern Ireland Boundary Commission.
Mr. Ancram: Having regard to the independence of the Northern Ireland Parliamentary Boundary Commission, contact has been confined to Northern Ireland Office officials with specific responsibility for the commission's financial accountability and resources, and has been minimal.
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The deputy chairman of the boundary commission wrote to the Secretary of State on 16 January to advise him of the revised recommendations. That letter was copied to appropriate officials within the Department and included senior members of the political affairs division.Fair Employment Commission
Mr. Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the persons and firms engaged as consultants by the Fair Employment Commission.
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