Previous Section Index Home Page


Highways Agency

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) which properties occupied by the Highways Agency have access for the disabled; [32434]

Mr. Watts: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 18 June 1996:


Driving Instructors

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to change regulations whereby unvetted theory trainers for driving instruction can legally give unremunerated practical driving lessons; and if he will make a statement. [32772]

Mr. Norris: The current law regulates persons giving ordinary driving instructions for money's worth as well as money. I do not believe the courts would accept that the loophole suggested does, in fact, exist.

18 Jun 1996 : Column: 424

Mr. Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what restrictions apply in respect to those eligible to be employed as theory trainers for driving instruction; and if he will make a statement. [32773]

Mr. Norris: The current law regarding car driving instruction does not apply to theory tuition given, for example, in a classroom or undertaken via distance learning methods. I am not persuaded that imposing a new regulatory regime on persons such as lecturers or authors dealing with driving theory would be justified.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Arts Spending

Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the current level of Government expenditure per capita on the arts. [29930]

Mr. Sproat: The arts benefit from a complex system of plural funding. Direct central Government funding for the arts in the UK amounts to £242 million in 1996-97. In addition, local authorities spend an amount on the arts in the region of that provided by central Government through the four arts councils which in 1996-97 is more than £233 million. On top of this, it is anticipated that the arts' share of lottery awards will exceed £300 million this year. This adds up to public funding in the UK for the arts in excess of £775 million. Based on these figures, the current level of Government expenditure per capita on the arts is at least £13.27. There are, however, other sources of arts funding generated through Government expenditure, either directly or indirectly, and it is therefore difficult to give a per capita figure which is a true reflection of the overall picture.

Civil Servants (Duties Abroad)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much her Department spent during the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96 on sending civil servants accompanying Ministers from her Department on official duties abroad. [32413]

Mr. Sproat: My Department spent £23,000 in the financial year 1994-95 and £18,000 in the financial year 1995-96.

18 Jun 1996 : Column: 425

Statistics

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which statistics her Department has discontinued (a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32866]

Mr. Sproat: None.

Television Licences (Second Homes)

Mr. Chris Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what representations she has received regarding the change in policy by the television licensing office to charge owners of second homes licence fees; and if she will make a statement; [32951]

Mr. Sproat: The Department of National Heritage has received representations on this subject from Members of the House, the general public and organisations representing caravan owners and the caravan park trade. The Government have no plans to introduce any changes in the television licence fees for holiday homes belonging to pensioners.

Mr. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if a second television licence is required for temporary use of a television in a mobile home; and if he will make a statement. [33158]

Mr. Sproat: The BBC, which is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the television licensing system, recently announced that a licence is required for use of a television in a second dwelling, including mobile homes. Licensing requirements in specific circumstances are a matter for the BBC.

Customer Charter

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list (a) the customer charters which are currently in use within her Department and its executive agencies and (b) the charters which have been withdrawn. [32825]

Mr. Sproat: The information the hon. Member has requested is as follows:


English Heritage

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much income English Heritage generated from ticket sales in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what percentage of the organisation's running costs this represented. [33075]

Mr. Sproat: English Heritage generated £7.5 million from ticket sales at its historic properties in 1995-96. It also generated £3.5 million from its membership scheme and a further £4.7 million from retail and catering activities. The total visitor and membership income of £15.7 million represents over 30 per cent. of English

18 Jun 1996 : Column: 426

Heritage's total running costs of £50.9 million in 1995-96 and over 50 per cent. of the costs of running and maintaining its 407 historic properties.

Postage Costs

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much her Department spent on postage in the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96; and how many items were posted during these periods. [32841]

Mr. Sproat: My Department spent £47,920 posting 98,696 items in 1994-95 and £56,119 posting 110,226 items in 1995-96.

British Tourist Authority Chairman

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what factors underlay the appointment of David Quarmby as chairman of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board; how many days a week he will work in this capacity; and at what salary. [32708]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 13 June 1996]: The qualities that my right hon. Friend sought for the chairman of the British Tourist Authority and the English tourist board were a proven track record in strategic planning in a large-scale organisation; leadership and management skills; the ability to represent British tourism effectively through the media; and an understanding of the public sector.

My right hon. Friend appointed David Quarmby after extensive consultations, a search assisted by an executive search agency and an interview process assisted by representatives of the tourism industry.

Mr. Quarmby will be employed for three days per week, one and a half days for each board and his salary will be £54,000 per annum.

Computers (Millennium)

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment has been made of the cost effects of the millennium date change on the computer systems operated by her Department. [32673]

Mr. Sproat [holding answer 13 June 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 3 April 1996, Official Report, columns 227-28.


Next Section Index Home Page