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Task Forces and Review Bodies
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many task forces and review bodies are currently in place in his Department; if he will list them; and when they will be reporting their conclusions. [63502]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 14 December 1998]: My Department has 4 task forces and review bodies. These are listed with their reporting timetables.
- 1. The Film Policy Action Committee
- The Committee was set up to take forward the recommendations of the Film Policy Review, which reported in March 1998. The Committee is due to complete its work by April 1999.
- 2. The Creative Industries Taskforce
- The results of the mapping exercise it instigated were published in November 1998. The Task Force are currently in the process of formulating their forward work programme.
- 3. The Football Taskforce
- The Taskforce has reported to my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport on:
- a. Eliminating Racism from Football--30 March 1998;
- b. Improving Facilities for Disabled Supporters--29 July 1998.
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- The Taskforce's report on "Players as role models" is expected by the end of the year and the report on the "Commercial aspects of the game" is expected early in the near year.
- 4. Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
- The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art produces an annual report, addressed to the Secretary of State which is presented to Parliament. The most recent publication is the forty-fourth report, covering the period 1 July 1997-30 June 1998, which was published by the Stationery Office (Cm 4056) in October 1998. The forty-fifth report (1 July 1998-30 June 1999) will be published in October 1999.
Tourism
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what initiatives are planned by his Department to assist local authorities to develop tourism policies; and if he will make a statement. [63821]
Janet Anderson: Our new tourism strategy, to be published early in 1999, will set out the strategic direction needed to ensure tourism growth that this economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. The strategy highlights the ways in which regional and local tourism strategies can help to increase tourism's benefit to local communities.
In recognition of the economic and social importance of cultural services to local communities, local authorities are also being encouraged to develop Local Cultural Strategies covering the full range of cultural services they offer, including tourism.
Tourist Guides
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what market research on tourist guides has been undertaken (a) for and (b) by the English Tourist Board in the past three years. [63681]
Janet Anderson [holding answer 14 December 1998]: No dedicated research on tourist guides has been undertaken for or by the English Tourist Board in the last three years.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Local Government Finance
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list (i) the total provisional standard spending assessments for 1999-2000 for (a) Buckinghamshire County Council, (b) Aylesbury Vale District Council, (c) Chiltern District Council, (d) South Buckinghamshire District Council, (e) Wycombe District Council, (f) Milton Keynes Borough Council and (g) Thames Valley Police, indicating the amounts for each major service block within each authority and (ii) the amount of the SSAs as they would have been if calculated by the same formula as in 1998-99. [64169]
Ms Armstrong: The figures are given in the table. Table A shows the 1999-2000 provisional SSAs. Table B shows what the SSAs would have been if calculated by the same formula as in 1998-99, but using data and national control totals for 1999-2000.
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Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the impact of the inclusion of sparsity factors into standard spending assessments for each shire county (a) in total amounts and (b) as a percentage change. [63391]
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each local authority the increase in standard spending assessment (a) for education, (b) for social services and (c) in total included in the 1999-2000 local government revenue finance settlement. [64200]
Ms Armstrong:
The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for 1999-2000 the proposed percentage gains and losses to standard spending assessments for each district council arising from their enhanced population figures, ranked and numbered in descending order. [63181]
Ms Armstrong:
The information requested has been placed in the Library, together with a similar table for education authorities.
The calculations have been made by re-estimating the underlying statistical formulae using resident population instead of enhanced population. If such a change in the formula were being contemplated, several other components of the formula would need to be re-examined if its statistical validity was to be maintained.
Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for 1999-2000 the (a) proposed external funding included in education SSAs, (b) total proposed funding from other grants to LEAs and (c) combined amounts for (a) and (b) as sums per head of pupils in (i) shire counties,
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(ii) unitary authorities, (iii) Metropolitan authorities and (iv) London authorities ranked and numbered in descending order. [63427]
Ms Armstrong:
The main sources of external funding of local authorities are Revenue Support Grant and a share of National Non-Domestic Rates. The amount of these for each local authority is shown in the tables which have been placed in the Library. No distinct amount of Revenue Support Grant or National Non-Domestic Rates is allocated specifically to education. The amount of other grants relating to education proposed for each local education authority will be announced in due course by the Department for Education and Employment.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what English Partnerships has spent on feasibility studies, investigations and the preparation of planning applications for the proposed development in the Inner Thames Marshes SSSI at Havering Riverside, Rainham Marsh; [62882]
(3) what plans English Partnerships has to provide financial support to attract development in the Inner Thames Marshes SSSI at Havering Riverside, Rainham Marsh. [62883]
Mr. Caborn:
When English Partnerships was formed in 1993 it inherited, acting as Agent for the Secretary of State, a commitment to pay Derelict Land Grant to the
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London Borough of Havering worth £156,700 for the preparation of site investigation reports. In 1996, English Partnerships increased this grant to a total of £180,000. In addition, the Agency has paid £149,506 towards the costs of environmental site investigations by LB Havering and amassing supporting evidence for the planning application and has spent a further £20,159 for an assessment of investment demand for the Havering Riverside site.
(2) if he will list the feasibility studies and investigations carried out by or funded by English Partnerships and those in which English Partnerships has had involvement with regard to the proposed development in the Inner Thames Marshes SSSI at Havering Riverside, Rainham Marsh; [62881]
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