You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

Millennium Dome (Disability Awareness)

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many days training staff to be employed in the Millennium Dome will receive on disability awareness. [69702]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 8 February 1999]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is finalising training programmes for operational staff. The current outline programmes provide for three hours training each for all staff in Disability Etiquette. This follows consultations with the company's Accessibility Advisory Group membership, details of which were published in the company's Annual Report and Financial Statements last year. Staff whose duties will focus on accessibility matters will undertaken more training; the nature and the scope of this will be appropriate to each role.

Millennium Dome (Induction Loop System)

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if induction loop systems will be available in the Millennium Dome to assist people with hearing loss. [69703]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 8 February 1999]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) will provide induction loop systems in the Dome for those visitors who suffer from hearing loss.

11 Feb 1999 : Column: 301

Public Bodies

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; and which are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner. [69903]

Mr. Chris Smith: My Department sponsors 40 executive non-departmental public bodies, of which the following were set up by an Act of Parliament.


























The Parliamentary Commissioner is currently empowered to investigate the following DCMS sponsored executive NDPBs:



    British Film Institute


    British Library Board


    Crafts Council


    English Sports Council


    English Tourist Board


    English Heritage


    Museums and Galleries Commission


    National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund


    Registrar of Public Lending Right


    UK Sports Council.

An Order being taken before the Privy Council this month will extend the Parliamentary Commissioner's jurisdiction to include all the executive NDPBs sponsored by my Department.

Christian Broadcasting

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if overtly Christian companies are barred from obtaining national radio frequencies. [70345]

11 Feb 1999 : Column: 302

Janet Anderson: The Broadcasting Act 1990, disqualifies groups whose objectives are wholly or mainly of a religious nature from holding a terrestrial national radio licence issued by the Radio Authority.

World Heritage Sites

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library a copy of the Government's consultation documents for World Heritage site nominations; and if he will list (a) the organisations consulted and (b) those which responded. [68811]

Mr. Alan Howarth: Copies of the Consultation Paper were placed in the Library of the House on 21 August 1998. The information is not presently available in the form requested. I shall therefore write to the hon. Member shortly with a list of those organisations across the United Kingdom and overseas which were consulted and those which responded, and will place copies in the Library of the House. Responses will be made available for public inspection in due course.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Public Interest Immunity

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received regarding the use of public interest immunity in trials arising from the bombing of (a) the Israeli Embassy and (b) Balfour House; and if he will make a statement. [70267]

Mr. Hoon: I am not aware of any representations about the use of public interest immunity certificates in the trial which arose out of these bombings.

Mediation UK

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received regarding the future funding of Mediation UK; and what action he intends to take in this respect. [70203]

Mr. Hoon: The Department received correspondence from Mediation UK in April 1998 and January 1999 requesting funding as well as correspondence from various MPs and community mediation schemes. We are currently considering the role that alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, may play in the civil justice system. It would be inappropriate to take decisions on the funding of any particular mediation organisation until policy has been formulated.

Departmental Cash and Running Costs Limits

Mr. Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what changes are proposed to the cash and running costs limits of the Lord Chancellor's Department votes for 1998-99. [71263]

11 Feb 1999 : Column: 303

Mr. Hoon: Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the cash limits for Class VIII Votes 1 and 2 will reduce, and for Vote 3 will increase. The running cost limits for Class VIII Votes 1 and 3 will increase. The increases will be offset by transfers and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

Class VIII, Vote 1, Lord Chancellor's Department

The cash limit will reduce by £665,000 from £558,861,000 to £558,196,000. The running costs limit will increase by £65,000 from £458,061,000 to £458,126,000.

The cash limit reduction relates to: £1,000,000 to the consolidated fund, non cash limited provision, to offset salaries of the higher judiciary and stipendiary magistrates; £91,000 to the Home Office as a contribution towards the costs of the IBIS unit; £350,000 from Department of Social Security in final settlement of the transfer of civil legal aid means tested assessment; £165,000 from Department of Social Security for the costs of recruiting and re-appointing panel members for the Unified Appeals Tribunals; £11,000 from Home Office for the changes in the power of the Attorney-General relating to unduly lenient sentences; £100,000 to Department of Social Security for the salary costs of ITS chairmen currently on secondment.

The running cost limit increase relates to: £91,000 to Home Office as a contribution towards the costs of the IBIS unit; £145,000 from Department of Social Security for the costs of recruiting and re-appointing panel members for the Unified Appeals Tribunal; and £11,000 from Home Office for the changes in the power of the Attorney-General relating to unduly lenient sentences.

Class VIII, Vote 2, Northern Ireland Court Service

The cash limit will reduce by £1,000,000 from £18,151,000 to £17,151,000. There is no change in the running cost limit. The cash limit reduction relates to an increase in appropriations in aid of £1,000,000.

Class VIII, Vote 3, Public Records Office

The cash limit will increase by £200,000 from £19,138,000 to £19,338,000. The running costs limit will increase by £800,000 from £24,968,000 to £25,768,000.

The cash limit increase relates to the take up of £200,000 capital provision covered by end year flexibility as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 July 1998, Official Report, columns 131-36. The running cost limit increase relates to: £600,000 lottery grant in respect of the project to microfilm WW1 soldiers documents; and £200,000 generated by additional receipts for wholesale publishing and book purchases.

Simon De Danser

Valerie Davey: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what were the total costs of the trial in connection with the 'Simon de Danser' drugs case. [70642]

11 Feb 1999 : Column: 304

Mr. Hoon: Approximately £27,300. This figure includes judicial, staff and support costs, but not the cost of accommodation. The cost to the legal aid fund is not yet known.

Next Section Index Home Page