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Departmental Contracts
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list for the financial year 1998-99 (a) the number and (b) the total value of contracts let by his Department with external consultants and advisers that (i) were put out to competitive tender, (ii) were not put out to competitive tender and (iii) were let on a non-commercial basis, stating in each case the names of the individuals or organisations that have carried out the work. [109264]
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Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 9 February 2000]: In the financial year 1998-99 my Department let the following contracts valued at over £5,000 for external consultants and advisers:
| (a)Number | (b) Value (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| (i) Competitive tender | 19 | 685,000 |
| (ii) Single tender | 3 | 21,500 |
| (iii) Non-commercial basis | 2 | 21,650 |
- Alan Jude Consultancy
- Alun Jones
- Aspen, Burrow, Crocker Ltd.
- CAG
- Deloitte & Touche
- Derek Etherington
- Durham University
- Energy Associates
- IPF Ltd.
- John Hobhouse
- John Stephens
- KPMG
- Leisure Futures Ltd.
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- Loughborough University
- nme & kay
- Olsberg/SPI
- Phyllida Shaw
- RCC
- Rebecca Hawkins
- Sheffield Hallam University
- Sir Tom Legg
- Specialist Canine Services
- W S Atkins
- Watts & Partners.
It is not possible to provide information for contracts valued at less than £5,000 as the information is not held centrally.
Grants
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the initiatives launched by his Department since May 1997 under which specific grants are allocated, indicating in each case and for each financial year the funding provided by central Government. [109313]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 10 February 2000]: The bulk of my Department's expenditure goes to its sponsored bodies, details of whose grants schemes can be found in their annual reports and accounts. My Department has launched the following initiatives:
DCMS/Wolfson Public Libraries Challenge Fund. £2 million DCMS funding (and £1 million Wolfson Foundation funding) each financial year since 1997-98 for projects which enhance the facilities or services of public libraries in England.
DCMS/Museums and Galleries Commission ICT Challenge Fund. £0.5 million over the financial years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 for ICT projects developed by partnerships of museums (main beneficiaries are non national, non designated museums). The bulk of the funding will fall in 2000-01.
DCMS/MGC Education Challenge Fund. £0.5 million over the financial years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 for Area Museum Councils to develop museums' educational work/resources. The bulk of the funding will fall in 2000-01.
MGC/Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Designated Museums Challenge Fund. £3 million for 1999-2000, £4 million for 2000-01 and £8 million for 2001-02. Although the scheme is administered by MGC/MLAC, I retain the final approval of awards.
Millennium Dome
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are currently employed in the Millennium dome. [109726]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 11 February 2000]: A total of 2,077.
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Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list those sponsors of the dome with whom discussions have taken place concerning a reduction in the value of sponsorship originally agreed. [109725]
Janet Anderson [holding answer 11 February 2000]: All sponsors remain committed to the sponsorship values for which they have contracted with the New Millennium Experience Company. Where contracts have yet to be signed, the original values discussed and negotiated remain unchanged.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the Ministers who have been responsible for the Millennium Dome. [104655]
Janet Anderson [holding answer 17 January 2000]: The following Ministers have held, on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, the shares in the New Millennium Experience Company and have therefore been accountable to Parliament for the Millennium Dome:
- the right hon. Roger Freeman MP (now Lord Freeman), under the previous Government, as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; the right hon. Chris Smith MP, from May 1997 to July 1997; the right hon. Peter Mandelson MP, from July 1997 to December 1998; the right hon. Chris Smith MP, from December 1998 to January 1999; and Lord Falconer of Thoroton, since January 1999.
Janet Anderson [holding answer 18 February 2000]: A total of 366,420 visitors came to the Dome during January, its first month of operation. Detailed information on their place of residence is not available. However, a MORI poll of Dome visitors estimated that 27 per cent. were from London, 28 per cent. were from the South East of England, 34 per cent. were from the rest of the United Kingdom and 11 per cent. were from overseas.
Libraries
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many libraries have closed each year for the last 10 years in (a) rural areas and (b) urban areas. [110784]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Information about the annual number of library closures is not collected centrally. However, data about the number of libraries are set out in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's annual publication 'Public Library Statistics', which can be consulted in the Library of the House, and from which year-to-year changes can be established.
Sports Action Zones
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria were used in determining eligibility for Sports Action Zones; what was the timetable for bids for such zones; and what process was used to arrive at the final awards. [111030]
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Kate Hoey: Sport Action Zones, the first 12 of which were announced on 17 January, are part of Sport England's Lottery Sports Fund strategy, which was published in May last year. There will be a total of up to 30 Zones designated over the next 10 years. The Zones are areas where current basic sports provision falls furthest below an acceptable benchmark standard and there is significant economic deprivation. In selecting the areas to be designated, Sport England took into account a number of indicators of deprivation. These included the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions 'Index of local conditions', areas which are subject to regeneration initiatives such Objective 1 status, the Single Regeneration Budget, Housing and Education Action Zones and areas such as former coalfields and rural communities which clearly have a deficiency of sports facilities. The designation process also involved discussions with local interests including local authorities, sporting and community groups. The process for designating further Action Zones is under consideration by Sport England.
Sport England will now be discussing with all the local interests, including local authorities, governing bodies, community and volunteer groups and educational bodies a detailed needs analysis for each Zone which will be followed by the production of an Action Plan setting out the agreed priorities for the area. The Plans will form the basis of bids to Sport England for Lottery funding for projects aimed at meeting those objectives. The delivery of the Sport Action Zones objectives will require very close co-operation between all the local interests, with the emphasis very much on listening to the views of local communities and responding to their needs.
Healthy Living Centres
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the healthy living centres in each region and the year in which each was established. [110820]
Kate Hoey: To date the New Opportunities Fund has awarded funding for two healthy living centres, both of which were established in 1999. The St. Augustine's Project is located in the Eastern Region (Norfolk), and the Arden Rehabilitation Project is situated in the South-east Region (Kent).
Over the lifetime of this initiative, the New Opportunities Fund expects to support over 300 healthy living centres UK wide. Over 70 bids are currently at an advanced stage of consideration and the New Opportunities Fund expects to make further announcements at the end of this month.
In addition, there are a number of existing healthy living centres funded from other sources. We do not hold a central record of these.
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