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NATIONAL HERITAGE
Concessionary Television Licenses
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans she has in place to review concessions on television licences for people who are housebound due to disability; and if she will make a statement. [9367]
Mr. Sproat: The concessionary television licence is available to retirement pensioners and disabled people living in nursing or residential homes, or certain sheltered accommodation, provided that it meets a number of qualifying criteria and is directly comparable with a
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residential home. The Government have no plans to extend the circumstances in which concessionary television licences are available.
National Lottery
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what advice her Department provided to the Director General of the National Lottery relating to his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee. [9561]
Mr. Sproat: Officials gave general advice to the director general before his appearance before the PAC on a number of occasions. For the avoidance of doubt, this advice did not include anything about the matter of G-Tech flights.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when Ministers first learned of the use of G-Tech aircraft by the Director General of the National Lottery. [9560]
Mr. Sproat: On 11 December 1995.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions were held between the Director General of the National Lottery and (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department on the use of G-Tech aircraft by the director general in the period 4 to 11 December 1995; and what advice the director general was given about the declaration of these flights to (a) the National Audit Office and (b) the Public Accounts Committee. [9583]
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what was the cash limit on voted provision for the Office of the National Lottery in 1995-96; and what was the outturn expenditure; [8616]
- (2) on what dates section 6 licences for the lottery were granted; how many applied for each licence; and what was the Director General of the National Lottery's role in the granting of these licences; [8610]
(3) in what circumstances the Director General of the National Lottery may discuss with applicants ways in which they might have restructured their applications to facilitate achieving his objectives. [8613]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: This is an operational matter for the Office of the National Lottery. I have therefore asked the Director General of the National Lottery, who is responsible for regulating the operation of the lottery, to write to the right hon. Member, placing copies of his response in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the process of selection for the Director General of the National Lottery; from how many applicants the appointment was made; on what date; and by whom. [8617]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: The director general was appointed in accordance with recruitment arrangements which met the guidance set out in the civil service management code. An open advertisement was placed in the press. A shortlist of five candidates were interviewed following advice from a personnel search company and the First Civil Service
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Commissioner. Mr. Peter Davis was formally appointed as director general on 25 October 1993 by the then Secretary of State for National Heritage.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she cleared all briefings related to Oflot provided by her press office to journalists in December 1995. [8681]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: There have been no briefings to journalists provided by my press office related to Oflot outside normal contact with the media.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what rules governing conduct have been laid down for the Director General of the National Lottery; and by whom and when. [8679]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: Rules governing the conduct of the Director General of the National Lottery were set out in his appointment letter and attachments signed by the then Secretary of State for National Heritage, and dated 25 October 1993.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if an estimate has been made of the cost of chartering an aircraft and crew similar to that provided by G-Tech's aircraft for a period during which that was at the service of the Director General of the National Lottery. [8615]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: No.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what date the Department asked the Director General of the National Lottery to attend a meeting with senior officials at the Department on Monday 18 December. [8881]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: On Friday 15 December 1995.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what date, in what form, by whom and to whom the Department was first informed that G-Tech had offered use of its private aircraft to the Director General of the National Lottery. [8880]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer he received on 10 January 1996, Official Report, column 253.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage in what circumstances she can dismiss the Director General of the National Lottery (a) with minimum contractual notice and (b) summarily; and what is the minimum contracted notice. [8680]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: Paragraph 1(4) of schedule 2 to the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 provides that the Director General of the National Lottery may be removed from office on the grounds of incapacity or misbehaviour. In the absence of grounds for summary dismissal, the director general's contract may be terminated on six months' notice.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what date, by whom and in what way the Director General of the National Lottery was informed of her Department's advice that his flight and accommodation costs should not be borne by his hosts; and on how many occasions such advice was given. [8678]
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Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: An internal note of an informal liaison meeting on 4 August 1994 records that the grade 3 head of the arts, sports and lottery group said that, for the proposed US trip, all due propriety should be observed and that the cost of flights and accommodation should be borne by Oflot and not its hosts. This is the only record of such advice. The note was not sent to Oflot.
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to her oral answer of 20 December, Official Report, column 1535, what estimate has been made, and by whom, of the saving to the taxpayer resulting from the Director General of the National Lottery's use of G-Tech aircraft; and how the sum is made up. [8614]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 16 January 1996]: I have made no estimate of the savings to public funds from use of the G-Tech aircraft by the Director General of the National Lottery.
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what have been the total costs of (a) setting up and (b) running Oflot since its inception. [8911]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 17 January 1996]: This is an operational matter for the Office of the National Lottery. I have therefore asked the Director General of the National Lottery, who is responsible for regulating the
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operation of the lottery, to write to the hon. Member, placing copies of his response in the Libraries of the House.
Arts Council
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) when she last met the chairman or officials of the Arts Council of England to discuss the reduction in its grant in aid for 1996-97; and if she will make a statement; [9699]
- (2) if she will publish figures for the cumulative change in the Arts Council for England grant in aid on an actual or estimated basis for each year from 1993-94 to 1998-99, in both cash and real terms; [9696]
(3) what representations she has received about the impact of the reduction of the Arts Council of England grant for 1996-97 on (a) reopened theatres, (b) small and medium-scale touring theatres, (c) regional ballet and opera companies, (d) regional orchestras, (e) dance training, (f) small-scale publishing and (g) the network of art galleries subsidised through the Arts Council and regional arts boards; [9700]
(4) if she will publish figures for the grant in aid to the Arts Council for 1993-94 to 1996-97 and estimates for 1997-98 to 1998-99, in cash terms, the annual change for each year in cash and real terms and the relative percentage changes. [9697]
Mr. Sproat: The figures requested are as follows:
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| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | (17)189.15 | 185.99 | 191.13 | 186.13 | 182.93 | 182.93 |
| Annual cash change | -- | (3.16) (1.7 per cent.) | 5.14 2.8 per cent. | (5.00) (2.6 per cent.) | (3.20) (1.7 per cent.) | 0.00 (0 per cent.) |
| 1994-95 prices | 192.70 | 185.99 | 186.02 | 176.30 | 169.05 | 165.33 |
| Annual real terms change | -- | (6.71) (3.5 per cent.) | 0.03 (0 per cent.) | (9.70) (5.2 per cent.) | (7.25) (4.1 per cent.) | (3.72) (2.2 per cent.) |
| Cash change from 1993-94 | -- | (3.16) (1.7 per cent.) | 1.98 1.0 per cent. | (3.02) (1.6 per cent.) | (6.22) (3.3 per cent.) | (6.22) (3.3 per cent.) |
| Real terms change from 1993-94 | -- | (6.71) (3.5 per cent.) | (6.68) (3.5 per cent.) | (16.4) 8.5 per cent.) | (23.65) (12.3 per cent.) | (27.37) (14.2 per cent.) |
(17) The Arts Council of England came into being in April 1995. The sum shown for 1993-94 is that attributable to England from the grant-in-aid to the Arts Council of Great Britain.
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