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Public Consultations
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to all the Government's public consultations. [69772]
Mr. Chris Smith:
When the DCMS issues a public consultation paper it will, in line with central guidance issued by the Cabinet Office, either publish a summary of the views collected or make the results available on request (in each case subject to respecting confidentiality requested by those responding).
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Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will assess the benefits of providing television licences free of charge for (a) pensioners and (b) disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [70989]
Janet Anderson:
The current review of the future of the BBC licence fee after 2002 will include a consideration of the structure of the existing concessionary television licence scheme and whether a suitable alternative structure could be available. The independent review panel will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State by the
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end of July this year. There will then be a period of public consultation on the panel's recommendations. It would not be right for the Government to preempt the outcome of the review.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants are available for the creation of rides at theme parks in the North West from the English Tourist Board. [71490]
Janet Anderson:
There are no grants available from the English Tourist Board (ETB) for this purpose.
The North West, like all parts of the country, benefits from the work of the British Tourist Authority and of the ETB. A significant part of the grant to the ETB is passed on to the ten regional tourist boards for local programmes and marketing.
New support structures announced on 14 December, as part of the results of the DCMS Departmental Spending Review, will ensure that in future more effective use is made of public spending on tourism in England, with a greater proportion going to the regions.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to establish that the bidding process for the 2006 World Cup will be free from bribery. [68459]
Mr. Banks
[holding answer 1 February 1999]: The Government expect bids to bring international events to this country to be pursued with openness and integrity. I take a close interest in ensuring this is so, and following controversy about Olympic bids have received assurances from the Football Association that the bid for the 2006 World Cup naturally will comply fully with the published guidelines, and will certainly be free from recourse to bribery. I accept those assurances and will continue vigorously to assist with the FA campaign for the 2006 bid, whose strength and viability rest on its quality against bidding criteria.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non- departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years. [70976]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: My Department's main web site (www.culture.gov.uk) costs £2,000 per annum to run and did not incur any set up costs. The web site has on average 130,000 'hits' per month and contains information about the work of the Department, contact details for Ministers and public inquires, and a range of publications, consultation papers, and links to sponsored bodies.
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The National Lottery Awards web site cost £42,000 to set up and has, on average 5,000 'hits' per month.
The Royal Parks Agency have a web site hosted by the CCTA and from January this year costs £500 per annum to run. The web site contains information on each of the Royal Parks. There is no information on the number of 'hits' for this site.
We do not hold information on our non-departmental public bodies web sites and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 11 January 1999, Official Report, column 31, what specific policies his Department intends to bring forward to improve the level of subtitling on cable and satellite television following the meetings his officials have held with broadcasters and subtitle providers. [69645]
Janet Anderson
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: My officials have had a useful series of meetings with the cable and satellite broadcasters, those representing viewers with sensory disabilities and subtitling providers. I met the RNID on 20 January. We are now considering in the light of the information from those meetings how we can encourage the cable and satellite broadcasters to improve on a voluntary basis the current provision of subtitling on their services.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimates his Department has made of how long it will be before digital set top boxes are able to support subtitling. [69644]
Janet Anderson
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: I understand from the Independent Television Commission that all services within the six digital terrestrial multiplexes are providing subtitles with the exception of a small number of ITV companies within the Channel 3/4 multiplex who expect to commence very shortly.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if his Department intends to make recommendations to the ITC about how its annual targets for subtitling for deaf and hard of hearing people should be calculated, with particular reference to digital television. [69643]
Janet Anderson
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: The Broadcasting Act 1996 requires the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to draw up a code on promoting the understanding and enjoyment of programmes by persons who are deaf and hard of hearing. The code must include specified minimum targets which are laid down in the 1996 Act, which also gives the Commission the power to set interim targets. Under the provisions of the Act, it is solely a matter for the ITC to draw up the code. The Act places a statutory duty on the Commission to consult those bodies or persons who represent the interests of people with sensory disabilities, before drawing up their code.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimates his Department has made of the proportion of subtitled programmes for deaf and
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hard of hearing viewers (a) at present and (b) in five years time for (i) digital terrestrial, (ii) satellite, digital and analogue and (iii) cable television. [69642]
Janet Anderson
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: For digital terrestrial services, the Broadcasting Act 1996 requires that by the tenth anniversary of the introduction of any digital terrestrial television programme service, not less than 50 per cent. of non-excluded programme hours broadcast in any service should be subtitled. The Act gives the Independent Television Commission the power to set interim targets and the Commission has set an interim requirement of 5 per cent. for the first year and 25 per cent. for the fifth year and no programmes are to be excluded. Existing broadcasters obligations on subtitling under the Broadcasting Act 1990 will of course apply to their simulcast digital services. The Commission will monitor broadcasters' progress towards meeting those requirements.
There are no similar statutory requirements on cable and satellite broadcasters to provide subtitling on their analogue or digital services. My officials have asked cable and satellite broadcasters their plans for provision of subtitling on their digital services and those who responded have indicated a willingness to transmit the subtitling commissioned for digital terrestrial television on other delivery platforms.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the amount of money which the New Opportunities Fund will spend on after-school sports clubs. [70650]
Mr. Banks
[holding answer 15 February 1999]: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said in his reply to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 16 November 1998, Official Report, column 350, no specific amount has been earmarked for providing children with sporting opportunities at after-school clubs, but activities offered may include sporting and outdoor learning activities, and structured, learning-oriented play. The amount allocated for these activities will be determined by the New Opportunities Fund in response to the applications received.
The New Opportunities Fund will commit £400 million to out of school hours activities during the current licence period to September 2001. Of this, £180 million will be committed to education activities, £200 million to child care, and £20 million to projects combining child care and education.
Out of school hours education projects should involve at least half of all secondary schools, at least a quarter of all primary schools, and at least half of all special schools by 2001. Out of school child care projects should provide places for 865,000 children by 2003.
The Prime Minister also announced an extra £400 million for the New Opportunities Fund between now and 2001. We have consulted on how this money
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should be spent and have proposed that part of the additional amount should be committed to an expansion of the existing out of school hours initiative, to enhance the contribution made by summer schools not only to literacy, numeracy and opportunities for arts, but also to sport.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government will take to encourage physical exercise as part of its new after-school care programme. [70295]
Mr. Banks:
Through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) we have committed £400 million of National Lottery money to out of school hours activities during the current licence period to September 2001. Of this, £180 million has been committed to education activities, £200 million to child care, and £20 million to projects combining child care and education. Out of school hours education projects should involve at least half of all secondary schools, at least a quarter of all primary schools, and at least half of all special schools by 2001. Out of school child care projects should provide places for 865,000 children by 2003.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has also announced an extra £400 million for the New Opportunities Fund between now and 2001. We have consulted on how this money should be spent and have proposed that part of the additional amount should be committed to an expansion of the existing out of school hours initiative, to enhance the contribution made by summer schools not only to literacy, numeracy and opportunities for arts, but also to sport.
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