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John Boyd Textiles Ltd.
Mr. David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the future of John Boyd Textiles Ltd. of Castle Cary and the historic horsehair looms used by that company. [64474]
Mr. Alan Howarth [holding answer 17 December 1998]: None. However, I understand that an application for planning permission for the conversion of buildings at the site to residential units has been submitted to South Somerset District Council. Oversight of the development control system is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Industrial Machinery
Mr. David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what protection is available for industrial machinery to ensure processes of historical and cultural importance can continue. [64473]
Mr. Alan Howarth [holding answer 17 December 1998]: Where a building is listed as being of special architectural or historic interest any alteration to it, including the removal of machinery, would require listed building consent from the local planning authority. However, the refusal of consent to remove machinery would not necessarily mean that the machinery would continue in use; this is a matter for the owners of the buildings and the machinery.
Social Exclusion (Sport)
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on how the Government's objectives to eliminate social exclusion in sport are being realised. [63426]
Mr. Banks [holding answer 14 December 1998]: This Government are committed to eliminating the barriers which prevent people from participating in sport. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in and enjoy sport, regardless of class, gender, ethnic background, age or ability.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 14 December that as part of the Departmental Spending Review outcome sport will receive increased Government funding of almost £8 million over the next 3 years, some £2 million more than the £6 million already announced in July. The extra funding will not only help the UK Sports Council with the lead role we all want to see it play in UK sport, but will contribute to the existing range of provisions that the English Sports Council (ESC) makes in the field of social inclusion.
The National Lottery is also making a major impact in addressing the needs of communities up and down the country, both in terms of sport and the other good causes. The Lottery Sports Fund has now provided grants totalling £900 million to over 4,000 capital projects.
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Sports projects in economically deprived regions can apply for additional Lottery support under the ESC's 'Priority Areas Initiative'. The recent reforms to the National Lottery will help to encourage distributors to consider how their strategies for the lottery will contribute to better access, neighbourhood regeneration, and the reduction of economic and social deprivation.
We are working towards the goal of social inclusion in a variety of other ways. I am the 'lead' Minister for a Policy Action Team which has been set up to examine best practice in the use of arts and sports projects in deprived areas. The Team draws together officials from a number of government departments with practitioners in the field of community sports provision, and will report in May 1999. My Department is also developing a new strategy for sport, which will set out some clear principles
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and targets for future developments in this area. I am especially keen to see the issue of equal opportunities in sport tackled more directly, and the strategy will demonstrate ways in which this can be achieved.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure in his Department since May 1997 on (a) public opinion research, (b) television, radio and newspaper advertising and (c) direct mail. [63959]
Mr. Chris Smith:
My Department has let one contract for public opinion research since May 1997. In order to preserve commercial confidentiality I am unable to provide details of the cost. A total of £243,146 has been spent on newspaper advertising for the following posts.
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| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arts Council | Chair | 8,751.99 |
| Arts Council | Members | 18,346.69 |
| BBC | Governors | 40,486.98 |
| DCMS | 2 posts | 4,701.00 |
| English Sports Council | Chair and Members | 12,474.00 |
| General broadcasting covering: | 23,372.29 | |
| BSC | Chair and Members | |
| ITC | Deputy Chair | |
| Radio Authority | Members | |
| National Lottery Commission | Chief Executive and Commissioners | 19,387.50 |
| National Lottery Charities Board | Chair | 17,945.80 |
| National Heritage Memorial Fund | Chair | 5,883.28 |
| New Opportunities Fund | Chair and Members | 35,490.88 |
| National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts | Chief Executive | 14,057.21 |
| Chair and Members | 23,536.00 | |
| S4C | Chair and Members | 4,712.00 |
| UK Sports Council | Members | 28,972.29 |
| Recouped from Welsh Office | -4,801.00 | |
| Recouped from Scottish Office | -7,039.00 | |
| Recouped from Northern Ireland Office | -3,132.00 |
11 Jan 1999 : Column: 29
No expenditure has been made on television or radio advertising or direct mail.
Regional Arts Councils
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the method and formula used to determine funding for the regional arts councils. [63984]
Mr. Alan Howarth: The Arts Council expects the Regional Arts Boards to receive average increases in funding of 19 per cent. in 1999-2000, 11 per cent. in 2000-01 and 4 per cent. in 2001-02 in total. The Arts Council will fully fund the Regional Arts Board for each arts organisation that is delegated to them. They will also receive an element of flexible funding which will be related to factors such as deprivation, as well as population.
Film Production (United Kingdom)
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what contribution United Kingdom produced films have made to the annual balance of trade for each of the last five years for which figures are available; [64913]
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Janet Anderson:
The contributions made to the UK balance of payments for each of the years 1993 to 1997 by (a) overseas sales of, royalties and rental payments for United Kingdom produced films and (b) the use of film production, processing, printing, editing etc. services in the United Kingdom by overseas companies are shown in the table.
(2) what contributions have been made to the annual balance of trade by overseas companies using film production services in the United Kingdom, for each of the last five years for which figures are available. [64914]
| £ million | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| UK produced films | Use of UK film production, printing, editing etc. facilities | Total | |
| 1993 | 459 | 128 | 587 |
| 1994 | 516 | 177 | 693 |
| 1995 | 560 | 227 | 787 |
| 1996 | 686 | 202 | 888 |
| 1997 | 465 | 207 | 672 |
Source:
Office for National Statistics (news release ONS(98)359)
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Subtitling and Sign Language
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for High Peak (Mr. Levitt) and the hon. Member for Maidenhead of 8 December 1997, Official Report, column 468, what replies he received from cable and satellite broadcasters following his request that they state their plans to make their services more accessible to viewers with hearing difficulties. [65240]
Janet Anderson: I am placing a summary of the responses received in the Library of the House. My officials are holding a series of meetings with the broadcasters; the major groups representing viewers with hearing difficulties; and the subtitling providers to discuss what scope there is for improving the level of subtitling on cable and satellite channels and what impediments broadcasters face in increasing the current level of provision.
Television Licences
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of (a) the number of premises with a television licence for (i) colour and (ii) black and white televisions where there is more than one receiver and (b) how many of these contain (A) one to 10, (B) 10 to 20, (C) 20 to 50 and (D) more than 50 sets; and if he will estimate the extra revenue gained by the BBC if each set required a licence. [65165]
Janet Anderson: Information is not held centrally on the numbers of television sets installed in non-domestic premises other than hotels, and even for hotels information is not held in the form requested. The available statistics on domestic television ownership show only the number of households without television, those with one set and those with more than one set, broken down into colour and black and white. Over 60 per cent. of households with colour television have more than one colour set; a further 7 per cent. of households with colour television have an additional black and white set and a similar proportion of households with only black and white television have more than one set. Charging all households with more than one television set an additional licence fee would raise an estimated £1,320 million in extra television licence fee revenue, assuming that levels of television ownership remained unchanged.
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