THE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
OFFICIAL REPORT
IN THE SECOND SESSION OF THE FIFTY-SECOND PARLIAMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND [WHICH OPENED 7 MAY 1997]
FORTY-NINTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
SIXTH SERIES
VOLUME 347
NINTH VOLUME OF SESSION 1999-2000
House of Commons
Monday 27 March 2000
The House met at half-past Two o'clock
PRAYERS
[Madam Speaker in the Chairr]
Oral Answers to Questions
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
The Secretary of State was asked--
Subtitling
1. Mr. Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam): What his Department's policy is for increasing the proportion of television programmes that are subtitled. [114851]
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Janet Anderson): The Government's aim is to ensure the provision of the maximum practicable amount of subtitling of television programmes. We are encouraging all broadcasters to respond positively to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People's initiative for a voluntary charter on broadcast subtitling, the foreword for which was provided by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Mr. Burstow: I am grateful to the Minister for reconfirming the Government's commitment to extending subtitling and other means of improving access to broadcasting for deaf people. I have two requests of the
Government. First, will the Minister explore further ways of improving the publicity for subtitling with the Independent Television Commission and the BBC? As well as advertisements for "EastEnders" and other programmes, there should be advertisements for this valuable service. Secondly, will she discuss with the Director General of the BBC the fact that the BBC has a lower percentage of subtitled broadcasts than Channel 4 and ITV? That is not acceptable for our public service broadcaster, which should be taking the lead. Will she encourage the BBC to do so?
Janet Anderson: I assure the hon. Gentleman that the BBC's policy is at least to match the targets set for any other broadcaster. The BBC has recently increased its targets for the subtitling of new digital services to 50 per cent. within five years and 100 per cent. within 10 years. In the early summer, we shall begin a review of the statutory target for the subtitling of digital terrestrial television services. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I will continue a dialogue with the RNID on these important issues.
Miss Anne Begg (Aberdeen, South): There is a generation of deaf people for whom signing is their only language. They find reading difficult. Will my hon. Friend encourage broadcasters to put out more programmes with signing as an integral part, particularly current affairs programmes?
Janet Anderson: I assure my hon. Friend that we will take every opportunity to raise that with the appropriate bodies. My right hon. Friend and I are very concerned to ensure that access to those services should be as wide as possible.
Swimming
2. Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley): What steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in swimming throughout the country. [114852]
The Minister for Sport (
Kate Hoey): The Government attach great importance to swimming. It is a fun and healthy sport in which youngsters can aspire to excellence. Swimming is a statutory part of the primary national curriculum, giving all young people the opportunity to participate.
Mr. Evans: I am grateful to the Minister for that response. Will she come to the Ribble valley and take a swimming lesson with me--she could even give me a swimming lesson--and youngsters from local schools? I promise not to leave her languishing in the deep end. That happened to too many parents in the Ribble valley when the county council cut the money for swimming provision, which meant that parents had to pay. That in turn resulted in a halving of the number of swimming lessons. The county council is offering more money this year, but it is still a real-terms cut on two years ago. Will the Minister use her influence with her colleagues at the Department for Education and Employment to ensure that all our youngsters throughout the country have free access to swimming lessons and that no child will be denied those life-saving skills simply because their parents cannot afford to pay?
Kate Hoey: I remind the hon. Gentleman that we have already swum together in Botswana. I thank him for his question and for his commitment to swimming, which I share. It is important that youngsters get that opportunity at an early age and that swimming should be a compulsory part of the curriculum. Local authorities must bear that in mind when considering how to use their facilities.
Mr. Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath): Does the Minister recognise that there are grave problems with the number of primary school pupils who are not getting the amount of swimming that they need? In particular, will she comment on the fact that Labour-controlled Walsall council has engendered a funding crisis, resulting in swimming pools being closed? Will she ensure that school children and other swimmers in Walsall are properly provided for? Will she reinforce her concerns about the need for all primary school pupils to have proper swimming lessons?
Kate Hoey: As a result of the concern throughout the country that not all primary school children were getting their full entitlement to swimming, my Department and the Department for Education and Employment asked Ofsted to investigate the issue. That is now happening. I do not know the details of the situation in Walsall, but I shall make a point of finding out. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman if I think it necessary.
Mr. Andrew Reed (Loughborough): Will my hon. Friend recognise Loughborough's contribution to this country's excellent swimming reputation? It is the home of the Amateur Swimming Association and its outspoken spokesperson, David Sparkes. We need integration between primary schools, medium-term facilities and the excellent facilities that will be required as part of theUK sports institute. Will my hon. Friend ensure that Loughborough's swimming pool is built as soon as possible, to ensure such integration?
Kate Hoey: My hon. Friend is quite right. Loughborough has been chosen as one of the sites for
a new 50 m pool. Sport England has given its support in principle, and I hope that the first ground work will be done soon. He mentioned David Sparkes, the chief executive of the Amateur Swimming Association. He is a forthright person who has stood up for his sport, and he has done an enormous amount to make sure that sport is available not just to our highly talented swimmers, but to all. He has done an enormous amount of work on the swimming for life campaign too, and I pay tribute to him.Seaside Resorts
3. Mr. Ivan Henderson (Harwich): What steps his Department is taking to encourage the regeneration of British seaside resorts; and if he will make astatement. [114853]
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Janet Anderson): Many resorts have been included in the UK's proposals for the new objective 2 structural funds and assisted areas maps. We have also ensured that the chairmen of the new regional development agencies are aware of the importance of resort regeneration. The English Tourism Council has set up a resorts task force, which is due to report in December with a programme of action to assist resorts with their regeneration strategies.
Mr. Henderson: Does my hon. Friend agree that high-quality bathing water is a major factor in encouraging people to visit our seaside resorts? Does she agree that local authorities and water companies should work together closely to make sure that there is an increase in the number of European blue flags flying over this country's bathing beaches?
Janet Anderson: My hon. Friend is right, and the Government will do all we can to encourage co-operation between local bodies to achieve as many blue flags as possible. I congratulate my hon. Friend on the fact that his constituency is featured in the tier 3 assisted areas map, and on the fact that Dovercourt--which falls within his constituency--has just received a resort award from the Tidy Britain group.
Mr. Dafydd Wigley (Caernarfon): The quality of water and beaches is central to regenerating our coastline. Will the Minister join me in welcoming last week's figures, which indicated that no fewer than 97 beaches in Wales had been awarded the star award--over a third of the total number of beaches to be granted that status? To ensure that we maximise the number of tourists coming to the UK, will the Minister put pressure on the Treasury to achieve a more realistic value for the pound, so that we can get the benefit of those beaches?
Janet Anderson: I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman would not wish to advocate any policy which would return us to the policies of the Conservative party. As he knows, there is no going back to boom and bust.I congratulate all those concerned on achieving that status, and I hope that that encourages other resorts around the country to do the same.
Miss Geraldine Smith (Morecambe and Lunesdale): Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating my right hon. Friend the Chancellor on his decision to remove the
annual licence duty on small amusement-with-prizes machines, as that will provide a huge boost to the operators of seaside arcades? Is not that another example of the Government's commitment to seaside resorts, along with assisted area status and the other measures taken by the Government? After years of neglect by the Conservative Administration, these measures are certainly welcomed in seaside resorts.
Janet Anderson: I thank my hon. Friend for that timely question. She is quite right to say that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor has shown, by his action, that he understands some of the problems facing our seaside resorts. As my hon. Friend rightly says, that is in stark contrast to the record of the Conservative party, which did nothing whatever to help to regenerate our important seaside resorts.
Mr. John Greenway (Ryedale): The seaside resorts are fighting hard to strengthen their appeal, but the Minister will be aware of the understandable concern at the number of asylum seekers being placed in many seaside towns, often in large numbers and without notice. The complete mess that the Government have made of the issue means that asylum seekers already in Britain will remain the responsibility of local authorities this summer.
This is a sensitive issue, and seaside resorts, like all communities, are happy to take their fair share of asylum seekers. Does the Minister, however, agree that local authorities have the right to be consulted? On behalf of seaside tourism, will she press the Home Secretary to ensure that there is always prior consultation, so that the number of asylum seekers placed in seaside towns can be kept to realistic numbers and be fair to all concerned?
Janet Anderson: The hon. Gentleman will be aware that this is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and not for me, but I can assure him that we are concerned that there should not be an adverse impact on seaside towns, and the Home Office is in continual discussion with the Local Government Association and local authorities about the particular problems that they might be facing.
In recognition of the importance of the matter to the tourist industry, I recently had a meeting with the immigration Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), together with Labour Members representing seaside towns, and she gave us reassurances that we found most welcome.
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