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Wembley Stadium

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 13 March

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2000, Official Report, column 13W, what amendments to the Lottery Funding Agreement relating to Wembley National Stadium were discussed at his meeting with Mr. Ken Bates on 22 December 1999. [115230]

Mr. Chris Smith: None.

Regional Cultural Consortiums

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 15 March 2000, Official Report, columns 245-50W, if he will list political affiliations, where known, of the members of each regional cultural consortium. [115725]

Mr. Chris Smith: Apart from the Chairs, who are appointed by the Secretary of State, members of the Consortiums are appointed from within each region by a variety of nominating bodies. Additional individual members may be co-opted. Where political affiliation is known--which is mainly where representatives are drawn from local Government--it is as follows:

MemberNominating body
East of England
Jeremy CloverLocal GovernmentCon
Irene MacdonaldLocal GovernmentLab
Anthony RowlandsLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Jacqualine RussellRegional Development AgencyLab
Wendy SilbyLocal GovernmentCon
Hazel SimmonsLocal GovernmentLab
East Midlands
Sandra BarnesLocal GovernmentCon
Ted CassidyRegional Development AgencyLab
Ian CroftLocal GovernmentCon
John DickieLocal GovernmentLab
Ian MaclennanLocal GovernmentLab
Fiona MartinLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Ned NewittLocal GovernmentLab
Christine RoseLocal GovernmentLab
North East
George GillDCMSLab
John BurtonLocal GovernmentLab
Aileen HandyLocal GovernmentLab
Dorothy LongLocal GovernmentLab
Winnie LowesLocal GovernmentLab
Bob PendleburyRegional Tourist BoardLab
Ione RippethLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Don RobsonRegional Sports BoardLab
North West
John CommonsLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Guy HarkinLocal GovernmentLab
Pam HaywardArea Museums CouncilLab
Steven MatthewsLocal GovernmentLab
Graham MorganLocal GovernmentLab
David NewtonNorth West SportLab
Peter PimbleyLocal GovernmentCon
Kath ReadeRegional Development AgencyLab
Kath RobinsonLocal GovernmentLab
South East
Mary BaldwinLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Freddie Emery-WallisLocal GovernmentCon
Cheryl HallLocal GovernmentLab
Jon HartleyLocal GovernmentLab
Heather HawkerLocal GovernmentCon
Roger ThomasRegional Tourist BoardCon
South West
Robin BushLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Andrew MayLocal GovernmentLab
Pat RobertsRegional Tourist BoardLab
Norman ThompsonLocal GovernmentCon
Viv VinesRegional Sports BoardCon
West Midlands
Baroness CrawleyDCMSLab
Jeff CarpenterArea Museums CouncilLab
Stephen CleeLocal GovernmentCon
Maureen ComptonLocal GovernmentLab
Phillip DavisEnglish HeritageLab
Elizabeth EdmonsdonLocal GovernmentLab
John FletcherLocal GovernmentLab
Mike FreemanLocal GovernmentLab
Jean HolderLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Sir William LawrenceRegional Tourist BoardCon
Carl RiceLocal GovernmentLab
Gwyn RobertsLocal GovernmentLab
Yorkshire
Chirs HeinitzDCMSLab
David AshtonLocal GovernmentCon
Tina DaveyLocal GovernmentLab
David GemmellRegional Tourist BoardLab
Sue KnowlesLocal GovernmentLab
Reg LittleboyLibrary and InformationLab
Pat MarshLocal GovernmentLib Dem
Christopher PriceRegional Arts BoardLab
Peter PriceRegional Sports BoardLab
Mike PyeArea Museums CouncilLab
Alan SmithLocal GovernmentLab

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Direct Funding

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has held with representatives of the national institutions which receive direct funding from his Department over proposals to replace this direct funding arrangement; and if he will make a statement. [115524]

Mr. Chris Smith: There are no proposals to change the funding relationship between my Department and those national institutions which receive direct funding.

Free Television Licences

(Morecambe and Lunesdale)

Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners in Morecambe and Lunesdale will benefit from free television licences for those persons aged over 75 years. [115746]

Janet Anderson: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 2 March 2000, Official Report, column 350W.

TREASURY

Aviation Fuel

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on the European Commission's proposals to compel member states to impose a tax on aviation fuel. [115288]

Mr. Timms: There are no such proposals.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the ECOFIN meeting of 13 March; and what discussions took place concerning taxation of aviation fuel. [115287]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries (Mr. Brown) on 17 March 2000, Official Report, columns 352-53W.

Government Borrowing

Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of the Government's borrowing programme in 2000-01. [115904]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The main details of the Government's borrowing programme are set out in Annexe B of the Financial Statement and Budget Report, published today. The financing remits for 2000-01 (including the Exchequer Cash Management remit) set by the Government for the Debt Management Office and for National Savings are also published today, in the 2000-01 Debt Management Report. Copies of the Report have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The Report sets out the Government's debt management policy, reviews the Government's borrowing programme in 1999-2000, and provides details of the Government's borrowing programme in 2000-01.

Small and Medium Enterprises

Mr. Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the report commissioned from Lord Trotman into finance for small and medium enterprises is to be published. [114443]

Mr. Timms: This report was published by the Treasury today. Copies are available in the Library.

WALES

Tourism

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to discuss with the First Secretary the prospects of the tourist industry in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [115201]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet the First Secretary regularly and we discuss a range of issues. I am very aware of the importance of the tourist industry to the Welsh economy and was pleased to note that the National Assembly's Economic Development Committee recently endorsed the new tourism strategy of the Wales Tourist Board.

Welsh Language Road Signs

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the cost to public funds of the erection of Welsh language road signs in Wales for each of the years 1990 to 1999. [113301]

Mr. Hanson: Expenditure on road signs is incurred by a number of public bodies in Wales and information on costs from 1990 to 30 June 1999 is not held centrally.

On 1 July 1999 responsibility for this matter transferred to the National Assembly for Wales.

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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Higher Education (Student Awards)

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list areas where local education authorities currently may exercise discretion in connection with higher education student awards. [115142]

Mr. Wicks [holding answer 20 March 2000]: Under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 1999, local education authorities (LEAs) are able to exercise discretion in three broad areas: eligibility for support, assessment of income and payment of support.

LEA discretion when assessing a student's eligibility for support is limited to specific circumstances relating to: the time limits for applying for support and its duration; the information required to assess eligibility; whether a student meets the residence conditions; whether support may be transferred to another course; and whether a student is unfitted to receive support. LEAs also have discretion in determining whether students meet certain conditions for receiving particular elements of support. There is discretion in determining eligibility for fee support when students have previously attended a higher education course or are repeating part of a course. There are specific circumstances in which LEAs have discretion when determining: eligibility for and the amount of disabled students allowances; the amount of care leavers grant for which a student is eligible; the income of dependants; and the maximum student load for which a student is eligible.

There are also circumstances in which LEAs are able to exercise discretion in determining the residual income of the student, the student's parent or the student's spouse relating to: the financial year of assessment; treatment of a student's income when payments are made as a result of previous obligations incurred; and determining which parent's income to assess when the parents do not live together. LEAs also have discretion to pay support for periods when students are absent from a course and in determining the method of recovering overpayments of support.


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