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Theatres and Orchestras
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy on the funding of regional (a) theatres and (b) orchestras. [68360]
4 Feb 1999 : Column: 748
Mr. Michael:
Welsh Office support for the arts is channelled through the Arts Council of Wales (ACW), which takes decisions on the detailed financial allocation to individual arts organisations. The ACW is in the process of consulting the public on its future strategy. I have helped that process by providing the ACW with the first real terms increase in its budget for a number of years. I have also announced a new programme on the next three years to develop and support orchestral and ensemble music involving children and young people.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what responsibilities which his Department had prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review are to be (a) discontinued by his Department, (b) transferred to another department, (c) transferred to an executive agency and (d) added to his Department over the period 1998-99 to 2001-02. [68396]
Mr. Michael:
No responsibilities will be discontinued. The great majority of functions administered by my Department, and some responsibilities which currently fall to other departments, will be transferred to the National Assembly for Wales later this year. These will be as set out in the Transfer of Functions Order which I published for consultation last November, and which I hope to lay before Parliament shortly. In addition, responsibility for section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966, as it applies to Wales, will be transferred to my Department by the Home Office from April 1999.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what additional legislation, not currently before Parliament, was assumed in the production of his Department's spending allocation for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 in the Comprehensive Spending Review. [68412]
Mr. Michael:
There is a long-standing convention that legislative proposals for each year are not announced before the Queen's Speech at the start of the relevant Session.
Mr. Win Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to receive the report of the commissioners appointed to prepare draft standing orders for the National Assembly for Wales. [69805]
Mr. Michael:
The Commissioners' chair, Mr. Gareth Wardell, wrote to me on 22 January, enclosing a comprehensive set of draft standing orders. I am very grateful to the Commissioners for the work they have undertaken on this extremely important task.
I am arranging for copies of the Commissioners' report to be placed in the libraries of the House. I am also writing to the right hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) and the hon. Members for Brecon and Radnor (Mr. Livsey) and for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), inviting their parties' views on the Commissioners' work. I expect to make the standing orders in their final form in March.
4 Feb 1999 : Column: 749
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what educational publicity campaign he plans to undertake, at what estimated cost, to inform electors of the new proportional voting system to be used in the election for the Welsh Assembly. [69187]
Mr. Michael:
Information about the voting system will be given as part of the overall information campaign to increase public awareness of the Assembly and its powers together with the greater accountability for decisions in Wales once the Assembly is in place. I have now allocated some £2 million for the National Assembly Information Campaign.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on waiting lists in Wales. [69542]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
I am pleased to announce that, as a result of the £20 million invested in the NHS by the Government and the hard work of the NHS staff, the inpatient waiting list fell over the three months to November 1998 to stand at 71,264--the lowest figure since February 1998. The numbers waiting over 12 months and 18 months fell by 329 and 323 respectively in November.
Outpatient lists have increased by 11 in November while the number waiting over 6 months for an appointment rose by 232, an increase of 1.3 per cent.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his responsibilities following the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales. [68552]
Mr. Michael:
Immediately after the election of the National Assembly for Wales I will retain all my current functions. A few weeks later I will transfer most of these functions to the Assembly in accordance with the Transfer of Functions Order. The Assembly will then become the centre of democracy within Wales. After that, the Secretary of State for Wales will continue as a member of the UK Cabinet and will have responsibility for primary legislation where it is proposed that powers be given to the Assembly, for Parliamentary procedures relating to those subordinate legislative instruments made by the Assembly which are still subject to such procedures, for securing and giving the Assembly its annual budget, for consulting the Assembly on the Government's legislative programme, for Welsh matters connected with the Palace and for minority languages.
Some of the powers under the Government of Wales Act 1998 which the Secretary of State will exercise as part of the transfer of functions are not time limited so that he or she may apply the Act to changed circumstances; for example, he or she may add to the powers of the Auditor General for Wales if a new function is transferred to the Assembly which involves the preparation of accounts and make provisions about the accounts of any new public body that may be created with functions that relate only to Wales.
4 Feb 1999 : Column: 750
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the level of funding for the Arts Council of Wales for 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [68812]
Mr. Michael:
I have received no representations in response to my announcement that the Arts Council's grant in aid for 1999-2000 will increase by 3.1 per cent. to £14.8 million. This is the first increase given to the Arts Council since 1995-96.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional legislation, not currently before Parliament, was assumed in the production of his Department's spending allocation for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 in the Comprehensive Spending Review. [68420]
Mr. Straw:
There is a long-standing convention that legislative proposals for each year are not announced before the Queen's Speech at the start of the relevant Session.
My Department's spending allocation following the Comprehensive Spending Review does, however, take account of the Bill announced in the Queen's Speech on 24 November 1998 to modernise the law on immigration and asylum, including reform of the appeals system and new support arrangements for asylum seekers.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibilities which his Department had prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review are to be (a) discontinued by his Department, (b) transferred to another department, (c) transferred to an executive agency and (d) added to his Department over the period 1998-99 to 2001-02. [68404]
Mr. Straw:
From April 1999, my Department is transferring to the Department for Education and Employment and to the Welsh Office responsibility for funding grants under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 for educational projects to help members of ethnic minorities to overcome disadvantage due to differences of language or culture. This represents 97 per cent. of the total value of grants paid under section 11. My Department is currently considering what arrangements might best be made for funding such work in areas other than education.
My Department took on responsibility for freedom of information from the Cabinet Office on 31 July 1998.
From April 1999, my Department will manage the new asylum seekers' budget which will meet the costs of support for adults and families seeking asylum. These costs are currently met from budgets managed by the Department of Social Security and the Department of Health.
4 Feb 1999 : Column: 751
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has evaluated into the expected financial costs and savings which will occur due to implementation of the proposed mandatory sentence for repeat burglars; if he will indicate the assumptions underlying such research; and if he will make a statement. [68948]
Mr. Boateng:
We estimate that the implementation of section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 will add between 4,000 and 4,400 to the prison population over 10 years. These estimates are based on a sample of offenders convicted in four weeks in 1997 and include an allowance of 1,000 prison places for the indirect effects on convictions for similar offences, such as a second conviction for burglary. The range of figures reflects different assumptions about the deterrent effect of implementation: the higher figure assumes no reduction in the requirement for prison places as a result of deterrence.
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