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Serco Ltd.

Mr. Redmond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contracts his Department and his agencies have with Serco Ltd; what is the current cost; when each contract ends; what are the penalties involved should he seek early termination of the contract; and if he will make a statement. [26687]

Mr. John M. Taylor: Details of the two contracts that my Department currently has with Serco Ltd. are as follows.

The DTI has a contract with NPL Management Ltd.--a wholly owned subsidiary of Serco Group plc--to operate the National Physical Laboratory on behalf of my Department. A programme of work broadly defined in the contract is commissioned from NPL by my Department on terms similar to those which apply to the procurement

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of research and development from all third parties, and at a rate negotiated prior to award of the contract. Serco does not, however, receive any fee for operating NPL on behalf of the DTI. The contract is for a period of five years from 1 October 1995. Early termination is provided for in the contract, but this does not commit my Department to any penalty payments.

The National Weights and Measures Laboratory--an executive agency within DTI--has a contract with Serco to maintain its building and plant. The cost of the contract is dependent on the extent of the work required in any year. The cost in 1995-96 was £91,378. The contract expires on 30 September 1996. Early termination is provided for in the contract subject to three months' notice, but this does not commit the agency to any penalty payments.

Business Links

Mrs. Roche: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what research his Department is carrying out into the relationship between business links and business incubators; and when he plans to publish the findings.[27006]

Mr. Page: Business incubators can be a valuable method of providing intensive support to small companies with growth potential, perhaps most obviously for high-technology companies working in related product areas. My Department is aware of a number of different business incubator projects and is also represented on the enterprise panel set up to determine whether practical steps can be taken to encourage further development of the incubator movement in the UK. We understand that the panel is due to launch its report in July.

We would fully expect business incubator projects to have close relationships with their local business links. There is, however, no specific research being undertaken on the relationship between business links and business incubators.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Industrial Development Board

Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide a breakdown of expenditure on activities to promote Northern Ireland as an industrial development location, including overseas representation, public relations and advertising, promotional aids, visits, seminars, exhibitions, sponsorships of research in the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland for 1994-95 and 1995-96. [26229]

Mr. Ancram [holding answer 22 April 1996]: In 1994-95 and 1995-96, the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland, to promote Northern Ireland as a industrial development location, spent as follows:

1994-95: 5,781 (£000)
1995-96: 6,222 (£000s).

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These figures comprise:

	1994-95	1995-96
Representation outside Northern Ireland	2,779	2,724
Public Relations	1,434	1,438
Advertising	119	624
Promotional Aids	1,278	1,295
Visits	61	31
Seminars/Exhibitions	110	110
Sponsorship of Research	Nil	Nil
Total	5,781	6,222

The marked increase in advertising expenditure in 1995-96 over 1994-95 was to allow the Industrial Development Board to gain the maximum publicity from President Clinton's successful visit to Northern Ireland in December 1995. Representations outside Northern Ireland include Great Britain.

Read Codes (NHS)

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what part-funding contribution his Department has made towards the cost of development of Read codes for computerising health and hospital record-keeping and information systems. [27066]

Mr. Moss [holding answer 26 April 1996]: The Department of Health and Social Services has made no contribution towards the cost of development of Read codes.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Taylor Report

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list by recommendation (a) those recommendations listed in the Taylor report which have been implemented and (b) the target date for implementation for those that have not. [26525]

Mr. Sproat: The Government have implemented 70 out of the 76 recommendations. Recommendations 1, 2, 3, 5, 6(a), 7 up to and including 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, in part, 30 up to and including 71, 74, 75 and 76 have been implemented. The Government have no plans at present to implement the remaining recommendations.

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many football clubs have been prevented from promotion as a result of their grounds not meeting the requirements of the Taylor report. [26526]

Mr. Sproat: None.

Battle of Trafalgar Bicentenary

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what preparations her Department is making for the commemoration of the bicentenary of the battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson. [25916]

Mr. Sproat: We shall consider this nearer the time.

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Football (Corruption)

Miss Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what evidence she has presented to the premier league football inquiry into football corruption in English clubs. [25735]

Mr. Sproat: None.

British Library

Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much money has been spent by the British library in the development and operation of its automated information systems strategy to date. [25595]

Mr. Sproat: The British library's information systems strategy determines the overall framework within which the library incurs expenditure on the operation and development of its information technology systems. The strategy was published in November 1995. In the financial year 1995-96, the library spent some £6.5 million on operating its information technology systems, and £4.5 million on their further development. In 1996-97, the library has budgeted £7.3 million for operating information technology systems, and £6.1 million for their development.

Television Licences

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consultations took place concerning the decision to require owners of second homes to have a second television licence; and if she will make a statement. [25863]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 23 April 1996]: The BBC is responsible for interpreting the television licensing regulations. On the basis of independent legal advice, the corporation announced on 29 March that second home owners require a separate television licence if television is used in their second homes. The Department was kept informed of the BBC's deliberations.

Media Violence

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) if it is an aim of Government policy to reduce the amount of violence depicted on television; [25208]

(2) if she will monitor the average weekly number of murders by shooting depicted on each television channel and publish the results on a regular basis. [25348]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 23 April 1996]: Broadcasters in the UK are independent of Government, but have clear responsibilities with regard to programme content. The broadcasting and regulatory bodies--the governors of the BBC, the Independent Television Commission, the Radio Authority and the Welsh Authority--produce and regularly review codes and guidelines with which broadcasters are obliged to comply. These set out the standards to be maintained with regard to the depiction of violence and sexual conduct and issues of general taste and decency, as well as other issues affecting programme content. These are in addition to broadcasters' own guidelines. The Government firmly believe that broadcasters must exercise caution, and be

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sensitive to public concerns about the depiction of violence, and have expressed this view to the chairmen of the broadcasting and regulatory bodies.

It is the statutory duty of the Broadcasting Standards Council, under the Broadcasting Act 1990, to monitor the portrayal of violence, as well as sexual conduct and standards of taste and decency, in radio and television programmes. This research has been conducted and published annually since 1991.

Sir Michael Neubert: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what recent representations she has received about the depiction of violence in the media, with particular reference to its effect on children. [22304]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 1 April 1996]: The Department receives a number of representations about the depiction of violence in the media generally, many of which express considerable concern about its possible effect on children. Issues of the depiction of violence in film and video releases are, of course, for my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary. While issues of programme content in broadcasting are a matter for the independent broadcasting and regulatory bodies, the governors of the BBC, the Independent Television Commission, the Radio Authority and the Welsh Authority, the Government strongly believe that broadcasters should exercise caution in this area, which generates considerable public concern.

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