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SCOTLAND

Departmental Consultation

Dr. Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the public consultation exercises on policy matters carried out by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years; who was consulted and by what means; how responses were analysed; how and in what form the results were transmitted to those responsible for the consultation; how the results of the consultation were published; and what analysis has been carried out of the extent and nature of policy changes resulting from the consultation. [106293]

Dr. Reid: During the last five years the numbers of public consultations undertaken by the Scottish Office and in relation to which the Departmental Library hold public files were as follows:

Year	Number of public consultations
1999(8)	78
1998	107
1997	76
1996	112
1995	86

(8) to 30 June 1999

Detailed information in the form requested by my hon. Friend is either not available or could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which projects relating to his Department that appeared in the Private Finance Panel's list of 29 November 1995 (a) have been completed, (b) are still pending, (c) have been dropped and (d) are being pursued by means other than a public private partnership. [105879]

Dr. Reid [holding answer 24 January 2000]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 24 January 2000, Official Report, column 118W.

Research Contracts

Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1999, Official Report, column 386W, on departmental research contacts, if he will (a) state the total expenditure on research let by his Department since May 1997 and (b) list the titles of all research contracts let by his Department for the financial year 1998-99 and costing £20,000 or more, stating what was the value of each contract, and in each case whether the contract included (i) departmental veto over publication of the research results, (ii) departmental control over the date of publication of the research and (iii) a requirement that the final research results incorporate departmental amendments. [107101]

Dr. Reid: Information about individual research contracts could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

1 Feb 2000 : Column: 528W

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadcasting

20. Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the regulatory environment for broadcasting in the United Kingdom. [105956]

Mr. Chris Smith: The Government's assessment of the regulatory environment for broadcasting in the United Kingdom was set out in the joint DCMS/DTI Green Paper "Regulating Communications--approaching convergence in the information age" and, in the light of responses, our conclusions were published in June last year as "Regulating Communications: The Way Ahead". But it is now clear that a more fundamental reassessment is needed. I shall shortly be announcing how this is to be taken forward.

Staff Bonuses

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department, its agencies and associated public bodies spent in total on extra bonuses above usual payments for staff working over the New Year period; what were the (a) maximum and (b) minimum bonuses paid; how many people received the (i) maximum and (ii) minimum payments; and if he will make a statement. [104500]

Mr. Chris Smith: DCMS and Royal Parks Agency would have difficulty in identifying the actual amounts spent or the maximum and minimum payments made to staff working over the new year period from other overtime payments. The pay information for non- departmental public bodies is not held centrally. The information required could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Only a small number of DCMS and Royal Parks Agency staff were required to work over this period.

World Class Performance Programme

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the sports eligible for the World Class Performance Programme. [107654]

Kate Hoey: These activities are as follows:

Aikido


American football


Angling


Archery


Arm wrestling


Association football


Athletics


Aussie rules


Badminton


Ballooning


Baseball


Basketball


Baton twirling


Bicycle polo


Billiards and Snooker

1 Feb 2000 : Column: 529W

Bobsleigh


Boccia


Bowls


Boxing

Camogie

Canoeing


Caving


Chinese martial arts


Cricket


Croquet


Crossbow


Curling


Cycling


Disability sports


Dragon boat racing


Equestrian


Fencing


Fives


Flying


Gaelic football


Gliding


Golf


Gymnastics


Handball

Hang-gliding and Paragliding


Highland games


Hockey


Horse racing


Hovering


Hurling


Ice hockey


Ice skating

Jet skiing

Ju jitsu


Judo


Kabaddi


Karate


Kendo


Korfball


Lacrosse


Lawn tennis


Life saving


Luge


Modern pentathlon


Motor cycling


Motor sport


Mountaineering


Movement, dance, exercise and fitness


Netball


Orienteering


Parachuting


Petanque


Polo


Pony trekking


Pool


Quoits


Racketball


Rackets


Racquetball

1 Feb 2000 : Column: 530W

Rambling


Real Tennis

Roller hockey


Roller skating


Rounders


Rowing


Rugby league


Rugby union


Sailing/Yachting


Sand/land yachting


Shinty


Shooting


Skateboarding


Skiing


Skipping


Snowboarding


Softball


Sombo wrestling


Squash


Street/skater hockey


Sub-aqua


Surf life saving


Surfing


Swimming


Table tennis


Taekwondo


Tang soo do


Tenpin bowling


Trampolining


Triathlon

Tug of war


Unihoc


Volleyball


Water skiing


Weightlifting


Wrestling


Yoga.

Lottery Grants (Shrewsbury)

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the total amount of National Lottery grant awarded to organisations in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since the National Lottery's inception; and if he will make a statement. [107259]

Kate Hoey: The value of National Lottery awards to organisations based in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency for each year since 1995 (the first year in which awards were made) is shown in the following table. The figures are taken from my Department's National Lottery awards database, using information supplied by the National Lottery distributing bodies.

£

	Value of awards to Shrewsbury and Atcham
1995	808,571
1996	1,610,447
1997	1,238,685
1998	3,053,478
1999	3,198,489

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Staff Bonuses

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department, its agencies and associated public bodies spent in total on extra bonuses above usual payments for staff working over the new year period; what are the (a) maximum and (b) minimum bonuses paid; how many people received the (i) maximum and (ii) minimum payments; and if he will make a statement. [104490]

Dr. Howells: The information requested for the headquarters Department is not yet available; I will provide a fuller response within the next few weeks.

I have asked the Chief Executives of the Department's agencies to respond directly.

The information in respect of the Department's associated public bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 1 February 2000:

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to your question about extra bonus payments for Insolvency Service staff who worked over the New Year period.

The Service has not yet made any New Year bonus payments: I am in the process of approving 9 payments of £300 (gross) each.

Letter from Ian Jones to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 1 February 2000:

I am responding on behalf of the Employment Tribunals Service to your question about payments to staff over the New Year. I can confirm that no extra bonuses, above usual payments to staff working over the New Year period, were paid by the Employment Tribunals Service.

Letter from David Hendon to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 1 February 2000:

The Radiocommunications Agency adopted the DTI scheme of £65 for work between one and six hours subject to an upper limit of £130. 13 staff qualified under this scheme with 5 of these receiving the higher rate.

The Agency also has a Special Bonus Scheme (representing 0.4% of its total Pay budget) to reward exceptional performance in demanding circumstances and 5 staff will receive £500 under that scheme.

Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 1 February 2000:

The Patent Office paid a total of £41,000 in special payments to key staff over the New Year period. This represented payments to 41 individuals of £1,000 each. All staff received the same amount. They were required to undertake final confidence testing of systems, prepare the systems for normal operations, and carry out any remedial work required between 31 December 1999 and 4 January 2000.

Letter from John Holden to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 1 February 2000:

I have been asked to reply to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on Agency bonuses paid over the New Year period. The information you require for Companies House is as follows:

Extra bonuses paid over the 1999/2000 New Year Period

Total amount paid: £28,200

Maximum bonus payment: £550

Minimum bonus payment: £50

No. receiving maximum payment: 31

No. receiving minimum payment: 1

1 Feb 2000 : Column: 532W

Other staff received payments between the maximum and minimum, typically £250-£300, to make up the remainder of the total of £28,200.

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