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Tobacco Advertising

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if there are proposals to alter the extent or content of advertising in broadcast or non-broadcast media for any categories of products other than those contained in the forthcoming White Paper on Tobacco. [15625]

Mr. Fisher: The Government have no such proposals. The Independent Television Commission and the Radio Authority produce detailed guidelines for broadcasters on the scheduling and content of broadcast advertisements. These are reviewed from time to time in consultation with Government and broadcasters, but no reviews are currently under way or planned. For non-broadcast advertisements, the advertising industry also produces a code of practice for advertisers which is administered by the Advertising Standards Authority. The industry is currently conducting a general review of the code.

Overseas Travel

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his estimate for the expenditure by (a) his department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on overseas travel for (i) 1980-81, (ii) 1987-88, (iii) 1990-91, (iv) 1991-92, (v) 1992-93, (vi) 1993-94, (vii) 1994-95, (viii) 1995-96, (ix) 1996-97 and (x) 1 May to 30 September 1997; and if he will provide a breakdown to show (1) air fares and (2) other expenditure relating to overseas travel. [15207]

17 Nov 1997 : Column: 13

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 11 November 1997]: The available information on expenditure on overseas travel and subsistence is given in the following table:

	£000
	1992-93 (actual)	1993-94 (actual)	1994-95 (actual)	1995-96 (actual)	1996-97 (actual)	1 May- 30 September 1997
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	86	99	161	133	163	33
Historic Royal Palaces Agency	Nil	1	5	17	22	10
Royal Parks Agency	n/a	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

A breakdown in the format requested and information on our non-departmental bodies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. An estimate of the expenditure for the earlier years, prior to the establishment of my department in April 1992 and Royal Parks becoming an Agency in April 1993, is not available.

Creative Industries Task Force

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the members of the creative industries task force. [16035]

Mr. Chris Smith: The membership of the task force is as follows:

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Chairman)

Minister and officials from:

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Department of Trade and Industry

HM Treasury

The Department for Education and Employment

Department of Social Security

The Scottish Office

The Welsh Office

The Northern Ireland Office

The Minister without Portfolio

HM Government's Chief Scientific Adviser.

Officials from:

The British Council

The Office of Science and Technology

No. 10 Policy Unit

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Lord Puttnam

Richard Branson

Alan McGee

Paul Smith

Waheed Alli

Gail Rebuck

Eric Salama

Janice Hughes.

Official Hospitality

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his estimate of the expenditure by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on official

17 Nov 1997 : Column: 14

hospitality for (i) 1980-81 (ii) 1987-88, (iii) 1990-91, (iv) 1991-92, (v) 1992-93, (vi) 1993-94, (vii) 1994-95, (viii) 1995-96, (ix) 1996-97 and (x) 1 May to 30 September 1997. [15206]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 11 November 1997]: The available information is given in the following table:

	£000
	1992-93 (actual)	1993-94 (actual)	1994-95 (actual)	1995-96 (actual)	1996-97 (actual)	1 May- 30 September 1997
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	22	18	15	26	41	7
Historic Royal Palaces Agency	18	17	16	46	33	18
Royal Parks Agency	n/a	9	26	17	14	11

Information on our non-departmental bodies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportion cost. An estimate of the expenditure for the earlier years, prior to the establishment of my department in April 1992 and Royal Parks becoming an Agency in April 1993, is not available.

Publicity and Advertising

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his estimate of the total expenditure on all forms of publicity and advertising by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies for (i) 1993-94, (ii) 1994-95, (iii) 1995-96, (iv) 1996-97, (v) the 1997-98, year to date, (vi) the 1997-98, full year estimate and (vii) the 1998-99 planned expenditure. [15209]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 11 November 1997]: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (formerly the Department of National Heritage) has incurred no expenditure on advertising over the past six years, except in respect of advertising for vacant posts.

Figures for publicity expenditure over this period are as follows:

1993-1994: £25,000

1994-1995: £57,000

1995-1996: £348,000

1996-1997: £609,531

1997-1998: £112,705 (to date)

£500,000 (estimate)

1998-1999: allocations have not yet been made.

Expenditure by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity is a matter for each individual body within the parameters of their grant in aid allocations.

Broadcasting

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has (a) to ensure maximum commercial access to opportunities for digital broadcasting and (b) to prevent monopoly control of (i) critical technology and (ii) customer data. [15826]

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Mr. Fisher: The Government encourage commercial access to the opportunities for digital broadcasting via terrestrial, cable and satellite delivery by maintaining the lightest regulatory regime compatible with protecting the public interest and with the capacity constraints of each delivery platform. Those with proposals for digital television services may approach the digital terrestrial multiplex operators; companies holding cable franchises or operators of digital satellites. Authority to provide programme content on digital broadcasting services is via the appropriate programme service licences, which are available effectively on demand from the Independent Television Commission to any fit and proper applicant. Plurality of voice is underpinned by the requirement that no single person may control licences which together have more than 15 per cent. of the total television audience.

General competition law provides powers to act against the abuse of monopoly position or anti-competitive behaviour. The new Competition Bill will introduce two prohibitions which will prove a highly effective deterrent against cartels and abuses of dominance. The provisions of the Broadcasting Act 1996; the Advanced Television Service Regulations 1996 and the Class Licence for the running of telecommunications systems for the provision of conditional access services granted on 7 January 1997 by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under section 7 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 collectively safeguard the use of critical technology and customer data.

PRIME MINISTER

Civil Service

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister which advertisements for Civil Service positions other than for departmental heads of information require applicants to be in sympathy with Ministers. [15731]

The Prime Minister: There is no question of appointments to the permanent Civil Service requiring applicants to be in sympathy with Ministers. The first Civil Service Commissioner in a recent letter to the press has emphasised that candidates for advertised posts are judged solely on their merits in the context of the job specification. Recruitment to the Civil Service follows the fundamental principle of selection on merit.

Tobacco Sponsorship

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if sports and pastimes other than Formula One motor racing were invited to make a presentation relating to partial exclusion from a comprehensive tobacco sponsorship ban; [16112]

(2) what discussions he, other ministers or government advisers have had on tobacco sponsorship with representatives of international sports and pastimes other than Formula One motor racing. [16111]

The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend the Minister for Sport and officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Health have met with representatives from governing bodies of sports currently in receipt of tobacco sponsorship. These meetings were at the initiation of the Department and will help determine

17 Nov 1997 : Column: 16

how we achieve an end to the advertising and promotion of tobacco at sports events while minimising any damage to the sports concerned. The Government are also engaged in discussions with their EU partners on these issues. In addition, the Government will publish a White Paper next year setting out their plans for a range of measures to tackle tobacco consumption.

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 12 November 1997, Official Report, columns 898-99, if he will list those Ministers whose knowledge of the donation referred to by him gave rise to a possibility of a conflict of interest; and if he will list the meetings attended by those Ministers with the donor or his representatives. [16463]

The Prime Minister: No conflict of interest arose for any Minister.

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister (1) when he and his advisers or Ministers have met representatives of Formula One motor racing; [16109]

(2) how government meetings with representatives of Formula One motor racing were arranged; and who took the initiative in each case. [16110]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 12 November 1997, Official Report, columns 898-99.

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